Wow. Where can I get a get-out-of-jail-free card like that? In post-WW2 Germany this would have been called a “Persil-Schein” - certifying a clean (or rather, white-washed) record.

Truth and reality have never stood in the way of the Trump regime’s hellbent desire to destroy all that is of actual and measurable benefit to the American people - alliances, economic prosperity, social safety nets, hemispheric security…

This unseemly AI data centre rush is going to lead to an implosion - both politically and physically, as US energy grids will collapse under the useless and unproductive drain on finite resources.

Let's not forget that Helen was hatched from an egg because her Dad, Zeus, sired her while being a swan. Or something. 🙄

I remember back when Canada's conservative government lost the election to the Liberals, and the incoming PM (not without flaws, mind you!) announced that "Evidence-based policy-making is back." I cried with relief.

Law is all about perspective. You have to be able to assess situations from different angles & standpoints - because if you don't, you're toast (or worse, the same monolithic idiocies are repeated in perpetuity). This is why diversity is so important in the profession. This is a stupid, stupid move.

“this Court has so perverted the VRA and the 15th Amendment that they serve almost the opposite of their intended function. These provisions were adopted for the…purpose of guaranteeing the political rights of African-Americans. After Callais…they function to limit black political power.”

Sounds like an unaccountable bribery piggy bank to me. What could possibly go wrong?

In an upside down world, savour the moments of bliss and joy. #caturday #catsofbluesky #catlover #tilly

So he sees the word “nuclear” in a document that deals with nuclear proliferation issues and he stops reading? Mr. “Art of the Deal” is either illiterate, stupid, utterly incompetent, or all of the above. Could we have some actual negotiators on this file, please? Asking for our planet.

That’ll give Stephen Miller and all those ICE guys kittens. Plus, imagine securing those future borders? 👀

Trump is negotiating to settle his lawsuit against his own IRS, and one of the remedies being floated (along with almost 2 billion dollars) is the IRS dropping all audits of Trump, his family, and his businesses. Just absolutely staggering corruption.

I hope someone out there is keeping tabs, so a future, reconstituted DoJ knows how much money to recoup as proceeds of corruption at the Trump Family trial.

A beautifully written, personal piece about a man who dared to examine the underbelly of US race politics: "His dissertation at UIC began as an investigation of what led to the riots he’d witnessed in the city in the ’60s, and grew into a dissection of how racism was codified in public policy."

What is it with these "lawmakers" who simply refuse to retire? It sure can't be a devotion to public service.

The critters at Mud Lake are so cool.

Just like it is always too late for a Democratic President to appoint someone to the Supreme Court, but a Republican nominee can be squeezed in after voting has already started.

Timeline cleanse: last night’s sunset at Britannia Bay. Flood waters are finally receding! #ottawa #ottawariver

Racial = non-white. I once heard a Brit who'd been to Japan say it was "Weird, to be on a plane where most of the people are the same race." So I asked, "What happens when you fly from London to Paris?" "Most of the people are white." "And...how's that not people of the same race?" "Oh," she said.

I wish this were unbelievable, but it’s not: Trump telling two of his SCOTUS appointees to be good, loyal soldiers and “vote” with him on birthright citizenship, out of “loyalty”. Calling them by their first names in the process, like a Mafia Don whispering threats from a half-lit room.

Another stellar moment in the art of negotiation... Time to re-up the handy how-to I wrote a couple of weeks ago? substack.com/home/post/p-...

Having the public exposure of lies, corruption, and criminal malfeasance by politicians result in the end of their careers.

What would the genetic impact of testicular silicone be? Artificial intelligence? Sure can't result in producing *actual* intelligence in those guys' potential offspring.

In memory of my mother, Inge Nölke, 27-09-1923 to 10-10-1980, who taught me how to look for the truth behind the spin, the agendas, and the lies. #mothersday substack.com/@canuck21/p-...

Silver lining: Add some gold, and you have the colours of the Ukrainian flag.

Pride Rock: everything the light touches belongs to Tilly! #caturday #catlover #catsofbluesky #tilly

Does Russia still have tanks? "In Photos: Russia Marks Soviet WWII Victory With No Tanks" www.themoscowtimes.com/2026/05/09/i...

Let me see. If you panic about people talking about your behaviour, it's probably not the talking that's the problem.

Sen. Mark Kelly: "If you say something that the president or this administration does not like, they're going to come after you. The president is trying to silence us, and I can't think of anything that's more un-American."

One can only hope that all this expansion talk doesn’t give Trump any ideas. He’s been known to move quickly on SCOTUS nominations…

what's great about this photo is it captures a truism of life in 2026: everything's very expensive and deeply concerning with no real path toward it getting better but also the memes are usually pretty good

A great thread, linking to a very good read. I need to better control this impulse in myself - the urge to respond with sarcasm or a quip to stuff that irks me, rather than with substantive engagement.

“Hopefully” is doing a lot of heavy lifting here.

Of course, he can’t actually do that. He can ask police and prosecutors to investigate/lay charges, but the sending to jail part is up to the criminal justice system. I really wish American politicians (and wannabes) remembered their Civics 102 on the division of powers.

This is a demonstration of the depth of contempt the Trump regime has for actual diplomacy, analysis, and negotiations on matters of import - from international peace & security to corruption & terrorism. My heart goes out to my colleagues at State - those who were fired as well as those who remain.

An awful thought. Because this scarcity of journalistic opportunity will lead to news reports being fabricated from hearsay, not evidence. Who will observe and record objective reality, when all we see anymore is compilations of opinions, filtered through algorithms?

"When your war aim is 'status quo ante bellum,' you can skip the bellum"—Clausewitz, probably

Manhattan real estate developers/investors are NOT experts in international diplomatic negotiation, nor would they know the difference between the uranium enrichment process and a meth lab. Time to repost my thoughts on the Trumpian negotiating process. canuck21.substack.com/p/how-not-to...

A fantastic choice for GG by @mark-carney.bsky.social - an expert in constitutional and international law, former war crimes prosecutor and Supreme Court justice Louise Arbour. The rule of law in Canada is in good hands! Thanks to Mary Simon, for her humane and inspiring tenure as outgoing GG.

This is like a relative insisting on giving you their truck that hasn’t started in years, or a hoarder’s bungalow in a dodgy part of town. A gift without which your life was complete before; that you neither needed, wanted, or asked for; and that will cost a fortune to made functional or get rid of.

15 best movies; don't think about it too hard! (not in order) Captain America: The Winter Soldier Wings of Desire Aliens Notting Hill Conclave Star Wars (1977) Empire Strikes Back Longest Day Wind River Sinners When Harry Met Sally Incredibles Laura Breakfast Club A Christmas Carol (1951)

Good move, befitting 🇨🇦's status as an Observer State of the Council of Europe. Excellent opportunity for @mark-carney.bsky.social to strengthen ties with European allies and Ukraine, and build relationships with leaders he doesn't get to see very often, like those of the Caucasus and Balkan states.

They say it's over-the-top or ridiculous to keep calling everyone a Nazi but it would be a lot easier to not call everyone a Nazi if everyone wasn't a Nazi these days.

On April 29, Trump has a 90 minute call with Vladimir Putin. On May 1, he announces his intention to weaken the US’ forward operating capacity in Europe by withdrawing 5,000 troops from Germany. Timing, as they say, is everything.

Withdrawing 5,000 troops from Germany only weakens the US. We weren’t there to protect Germany. MAGA is so delusional.

9.5 million people live in New Jersey

There is absolutely no doubt about who is Tilly's person. (I am lucky to be the Auxiliary.) #caturday #catlover #catsofbluesky #tilly

Classic socialist move: State ownership of media. I'm sure the Republican Congress will object!