“Fair access to vaccines, backed up by clear guidance and insurance coverage, remains essential. A clear, evidence-based strategy is not just smart — it’s life-saving.” https://www.courant.com/2025/09/30/opinion-in-an-age-of-uncertainty-connecticut-must-continue-leading-with-science-on-vaccines/

This 👇🏻

“The US announced its intention to compete for a 21st-century technology using 19th-century energy when Trump revealed new investments in the dirtiest, most greenhouse-gas-intensive fossil fuels.” https://insideclimatenews.org/news/29092025/trump-administration-announces-coal-industry-efforts/

"I’ve only been in the U.S. as a reporter for eight weeks. I come from Germany and am on the staff at Correctiv, a nonprofit investigative newsroom. I’d been alarmed by videos of masked ICE agents sweeping immigrants off the street, scenes I never thought I’d see in the United States."

My latest "Football Chronicles," featuring a back-and-forth game in Hartford: "Week 3 of the 2025 season presented a major challenge for the Cougars, who entered the game minus some key players." medium.com/@barthkeck/f...

The man is not well. “Trump deleted a bizarre AI-generated video he shared in which he promotes a magic bed which purportedly cures all diseases.” https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/trump-deletes-wild-ai-video-he-shared-in-which-he-promoted-a-magic-med-bed-that-cures-diseases-and-regrows-limbs/

“Unless we find a way to overcome antiscience, humankind will face its gravest threat yet—the collapse of civilization as we know it.”

“Trump understands that many of these people are weak. In many case, those folding have had ample resources to resist Trump’s shakedowns but haven’t been brave enough to do so. They are, in a word, chickenshit.” https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/09/freedom-trump-threats-kimmel/684358/

THIS! 👇

“A who’s-who of lawsuit shops are pushing the Tylenol-autism link in court. The transparent goal is to drum up more claims to drive a bigger damage award or settlement.” https://www.mediaite.com/media/news/the-wall-street-journal-torches-trumps-anti-tylenol-campaign-whatever-happened-to-do-no-harm/

Connecticut Vaccine Access Panel Disrupted By Hostile [Anti-Vax] Crowd “When you have a situation where 99% of people are on board (with vaccinations), the 1% does not represent the majority, and that doesn’t mean that being louder represents the truth.” ctnewsjunkie.com/2025/09/24/c...

Gee, what a surprise. Elon and DOGE had no real plan other than "slash and burn." Department of Government EFFICIENCY -- 🤣😢 currently.att.yahoo.com/att/cost-cut...

My latest CT News Junkie op-ed: “The First Amendment is at the heart of the situation. Free speech and expression are guaranteed, regardless of whatever – or whomever – they criticize.” https://ctnewsjunkie.com/2025/09/23/opinion-freedom-of-speech-is-melissa-schlags-legacy/

This 👇🏻!

This week's "Football Chronicles," Chapter 6: "Spread or double wing? That is the question. HK has developed an offense over the past several seasons with two distinct personalities." medium.com/@barthkeck/f...

THIS is the point: A government that sanctions speech is NOT a democracy: “There is no more terrifying circumstance for a broadcast entity than the threat of an FCC fine, or worse, that the agency could move to revoke the stations’ broadcast licenses.” www.yahoo.com/entertainmen...

In the wake of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, political opportunists — including foreign actors — are creating and exploiting fear of perceived “leftist violence.” https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/security-analysts-flag-rise-russian-created-misinformation-posts/story?id=125640078

“While bottlenose dolphins and porpoises have been spotted in the Long Island Sound before, the pods with large numbers this summer are uncommon and could be an indicator of the health of the Sound improving.” https://www.ctinsider.com/living/article/dolphins-long-island-sound-ct-21028643.php

Public discord continues to grow, thanks in large part to social media. A play right out of the authoritarian playbook: "Posts on the Talk of Farmington CT community page become markedly more combative..." www.courant.com/2025/09/18/c...

“If a Democratic administration had done this, with an unapologetically progressive organization leading a progressive coalition in concert with the Ed Dept, Republicans would be livid.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2025/09/17/education-department-conservative-groups-civics-patriotism/

“The concern with AI is that students will no longer be able to think critically or perform the simplest of tasks without technological assistance.” https://www.courant.com/2025/09/15/uniform-answers-reduced-cognitive-ability-ct-professors-say-ais-footprints-already-in-the-classroom/

My latest: “Social media is not real life. Unfortunately, too many fall under its Svengali spell, interpreting accounts of preferred influencers as absolute truth. In times of political violence, the situation worsens.” https://ctnewsjunkie.com/2025/09/15/opinion-social-media-is-not-real-life/

My recap of Game One of the new season in Chapter 5 of "Football Chronicles": "HK was slowly learning from their small mistakes during the game and building towards success. Ultimately, the Cougars put the game away in the fourth quarter." medium.com/@barthkeck/f...

“Demand that our elected officials protect us by firing RFK Jr. and repairing the damage he has caused during his six-month rampage against our public health infrastructure.” https://www.courant.com/2025/09/10/opinion-i-am-a-ct-doctor-who-has-seen-what-lack-of-vaccines-does-the-monsters-are-real/

“I got her after I retired, as a service dog, because I needed her. She is now certified as a therapy dog through the hospital’s pet therapy program.” https://www.courant.com/2025/09/14/how-a-ct-dog-a-treehouse-an-ex-detective-and-others-are-making-a-difference-for-children/

A public statement this heinous gets essentially anyone fired from their job — unless you work for Fox News, I guess. 🤷🏻‍♂️

“Trump’s speech about Kirk’s murder, in which he vilified political enemies, should frighten any American who rejects political violence, cares about civil liberties, and dislikes govt. interference.” https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/09/charlie-kirk-assassination-civil-war/684181/

"Sanitizing this document would be wrong, so I’ll be blunt: The Epstein birthday book is full of contributions from wealthy, powerful people who appear fully aware of Epstein’s attraction to 'girls.' In fact, they seem to celebrate it and, in some cases, allude winkingly to his predatory lifestyle."

“None of this is about immigration; it’s about inflaming racial tensions and dividing Americans, acclimating them to the militarization of streets and stripping away their constitutional protections.” https://www.theatlantic.com/newsletters/archive/2025/09/supreme-court-ice-detain-decision/684154/

The season starts Friday. Chapter 4 of "Football Chronicles 2025" focuses on the recent game scrimmage: "For sure, the team’s performance was gratifying — including that of the first-string defense, which pitched a shutout — but there’s plenty of work still to be done." medium.com/@barthkeck/f...

This 👇

This is the “Orioles Magic” I remember! And on Cal’s special night! Ain’t the beer cold! How ‘bout dem O’s!

A true leader: “Sue Bird, who joins Maya Moore, two UConn greats entering the Hall of Fame, helped to open, widen and level out the pathways to this mountaintop.” https://www.courant.com/2025/09/06/dom-amore-uconns-sue-bird-made-pathways-possible-made-things-happen-along-the-way-to-hall-of-fame/

A great goaltender and a first-rate human being. RIP, Ken Dryden. https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/former-canadiens-goalie-ken-dryden-dies-after-cancer-battle

“Trump’s damage to American power and prestige would be less severe if the president had a foreign policy and a team to execute it. He has neither.” https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/09/trump-parade-china-putin-xi-kim/684113/

“Both men seem to think wimps cower and defend, but real men go on the offensive and whack the bad guys.” https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/09/defense-war-cringe-department/684112/?gift=jwrpImU1uyo9bAedf7iYwVGIVzs2U9N1oaHXORgtoqc&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share

More than 85 climate scientists declared DOE’s climate report unfit for policymaking. The DOE report cherry-picked evidence, lacked peer-reviewed studies to support its questioning of the effects of climate change in the U.S., and is 'fundamentally incorrect'." ctnewsjunkie.com/2025/09/03/d...

"At The Ruby & Calvin Fletcher African American History Museum in Stratford, education about the history of slavery continues amid the focus Trump has placed on review of the exhibits at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture." www.courant.com/2025/08/31/t...

“What Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has done to the C.D.C. and to our nation’s public health system over the past several months is unlike anything we have ever seen at the agency, and unlike anything our country has ever experienced.”

Chapter 3 of my 2025 "Football Chronicles." The season is fast approaching! "Each drill, each practice, each game scrimmage is a building block towards realizing team goals." medium.com/@barthkeck/f...

Again, Trump has no policies, just performative actions. Sure, carjackings are down in DC. But how is sending the National Guard to one city at the cost of $1 million a day a feasible policy for the entire country for an indefinite period of time? It's performative politics, not serious policy.

This says it all.

The new “Big Steal”: “Missouri GOP Gov. Mike Kehoe announced Friday he was calling for a special legislative session that will include redrawing the state's congressional map.” https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/missouri-governor-calls-special-session-redraw-congressional-districts/story?id=125109160

Spot-on!

Wait, what? Trump told us alternative energy was a nonstarter. 🙄 "Chinese solar is now expanding so fast that by the early 2030s, the country will generate more power from the sun than the amount of electricity the US will consume altogether." www.cnn.com/2024/11/18/c...

Well, at least it's only costing U.S. taxpayers $1 million a day. (Where's DOGE when you need 'em?)

I wrote this two years ago: "The brave new world of social media, podcasts, algorithms, and confirmation bias has basically rendered reasoned discussion passé, paving the way for a bona fide conspiracy theorist like RFK Jr. to take a serious run at the presidency." ctnewsjunkie.com/2023/06/26/o...

"This line of thinking is standard issue among the 'heterodox' anti-institutionalists who are the brain trust for the GOP today: Look at any institution, find five or six critiques of it—big or small, fair or not—and declare that the place is rotten beyond repair." open.substack.com/pub/thebulwa...

“At some point, the evidence becomes overwhelming — and we have reached that point. The frog in the metaphorical pot of water has boiled to death.”

"Instead of chasing dollars from well-connected donors, we’ll be in neighborhoods talking to voters who feel abandoned by Washington...I’m interested in understanding people’s lived experiences and translating that into effective public policy." ctnewsjunkie.com/2025/08/26/c...