NEW: An Oklahoma family was forced to abandon their home after it filled with slick, black goo, reaching gas concentrations at explosive levels. Despite ample evidence of oil and gas pollution, state regulators say they cannot help.

A loser who refuses to learn from his mistakes will always be a loser. Thanks to 77 million American voters, who failed to see what is obvious to the rest of the world, this loser is now a danger to us all. open.substack.com/pub/aaronrup...

"By patiently waiting out this moment, by letting the United States exhaust itself, China has bought time to pursue what Xi calls “national self-reliance”—time to catch up with the West technologically and to fortify itself for the point when competition takes a harsher turn."

Trump complains he can't brag about the Iran War because of the "little man with the $4 gasoline": "I don't want to say we're making a fortune ... because if I say it, they're going to say, 'He forgets about the little man with the $4 gasoline.'"

Black cemetery in Florida vandalized, 'Trump' spray-painted on graves reut.rs/495gOz8

President Donald Trump appears ready to drop his $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in exchange for a $1.7 billion settlement – an arrangement that left former MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan in disbelief on Friday.

Kudos to this reporter who didn't just report Trump's claims on "deals" negotiated at the summit. Noting the details are scarce and that China has not confirmed these deals is the context we need. Our president lies. The people around him lie. His word is meaningless. [GIFT ARTICLE]

Noem leaves waterfront Coast Guard home that 4-star admiral got 3 hours to vacate: report

When companies like Aetna or UnitedHealthcare want to rein in costs, they turn to EviCore, whose business model depends on turning down payments for care recommended by doctors for their patients. (Published Oct. 2024 with @capitolforum.bsky.social)

RFK Jr remains anti-vaccine and he's using your tax dollars to cherry pick data to back up his hunch. It's apparently making the WH nervous because they know it's not a good look. www.nytimes.com/2026/05/11/h...

Senate Republicans unveiled a $72 billion spending package late Monday night that included: 💰️ $1B for "security adjustments and upgrades" related to Trump's ballroom 💰️ $38.2B for ICE 💰️ $26B for Customs and Border Protection #TrumpBallroom #ChuckGrassley

Check out Pat Bagley's latest cartoon: Orwell was Right

I wonder if Musk will take responsibility for all the damage his DOGE caused, and what will inevitably be discovered: Trump's brilliant idea has added expense to taxpayers - not savings. [GIFT LINK] www.nytimes.com/2026/05/06/c...

“I don’t think it’s actually about the bison,” said Ryan Busse, a Democrat running in a primary in Montana’s First District. “Gianforte is fine with oil companies doing whatever the hell they want on public lands. But some bison walking around and eating grass is a threat?”

I don’t disagree with this assessment. #MayDay2026

Republicans don't want the government to advance science and protect your health - but they do want $400M of your money to build their leader a golden ballroom. [GIFT LINK] www.nytimes.com/2026/04/27/c...

Why is Donald Trump determined to put the U.S. behind in science and innovation for decades to come? open.substack.com/pub/steady/p...

Anger over the data center boom has spilled into politics with voters unseating local politicians who support them. It's become an issue hard to ignore in the midterm elections.

Harrowing accounting by Wisconsin's Shelly Kittleson of her captivity in Iraq. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

"The F.B.I. began investigating a New York Times reporter last month after she wrote about the bureau’s director, Kash Patel, using bureau personnel to provide his girlfriend with government security and transportation, according to a person briefed on the matter." www.nytimes.com/2026/04/22/u...

Seems like Speaker Robin Vos could have easily remedied this, had he cared. Then againl, he is the one who stalled action on expanded Medicaid for postpartum moms as well as improved health coverage for breast cancer screenings. wisconsinwatch.org/2026/04/wisc...

If you know people who don't vaccinate for measles, please share this article. Measles could be a nasty inconvenience. Or it could kill your child - or someone else's child - years later. [GIFT LINK] www.nytimes.com/2026/04/21/o...

Trump has weaponized the DOJ. This much is clear. What remains to be seen is whether career prosecutors will call this out. Will take the ethical path. Democrats should make clear they will use every tool they have to stop this. [GIFT LINK] www.nytimes.com/2026/04/17/u...

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement acting director Todd Lyons, a key executor of President Donald Trump’s mass deportations agenda, will resign at the end of May, federal officials announced Thursday.

Is he getting ready for the next round following the midterms? I have a fantasy that every member of the Capitol Police will resign en masse and give GOP Congress members the finger on the way out for letting this happen. www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru...

Devastating. The remedy they suggest will never be followed by this president who is entirely incapable of admitting failure. www.nytimes.com/2026/04/12/o...

Israel killed three journalists in one day in Gaza and Lebanon. This isn’t just a tragedy. It’s a pattern enabled by impunity — and by U.S. political and military backing. Israel has killed at least 257 journalists in five countries since 2023, according to @pressfreedom.bsky.social.

"Kavanaugh Stops" not only robbed people of hours of time, they injured people. They damaged or destroyed property. They shattered people and families. Brett Kavanaugh has to live with that the rest of his life. I hope one day he has the courage to speak to some folks who were wrongly detained.

Donald Trump remains Vladimir Putin's greatest asset as he digs a deeper hole for the U.S. and continues to push away allies. www.theatlantic.com/internationa...

How republicans in Congress can ignore this is beyond me. He needs to be removed immediately. @oversightdemocrats.bsky.social let’s see impeachment articles. Now.

A 40% increase to $1.5 trillion dollars for defense. In recent days the president has said it's not possible to fund Medicare, Medicaid and childcare because "We're fighting wars". www.nytimes.com/2026/04/03/u...

“They’re destroying more than fifty research facilities across thirty-one states, labs that house decades of irreplaceable long-term science…And they’re replacing all of it — the offices, the scientists, the institutional knowledge, the professional independence — with fifteen political appointees”

Some good news for good journalism in this story. Super happy to read about the growth of the Sahan Journal of Minneapolis. I had an opportunity to meet with its founder when he was a Star Tribune reporter doing a story on an organization I worked for. Also happy to see MinnPost on this list!

What a great story. Just read it when you have a few minutes. (GIFT LINK) www.nytimes.com/2026/03/31/s...

I learned two things from this: Big commercial interests apparently cut their losses and run when it comes to bees, and there are great humans in the world doing their best to save as many bees as possible. www.oregonlive.com/crime/2026/0...

President Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order creating a nationwide list of verified eligible voters, a move that is sure to draw legal challenges as the president continues to demand further restrictions on voting ahead of this year’s midterm elections.

Hmmm. If only the U.S. had a way to reach these people, as well as those cut off from the internet in Iran. We could call it - Voice of America! Oh, wait.... Trump gutted it. I wonder how much Putin paid him to do that? (GIFT LINK)

Hey - people in the U.S. who love our democratic republic - what is your plan for tomorrow? I will be there with my U.S. flag, my cowbell (we always need more) and my voice. We sure could use yours as well. www.nokings.org?SQF_SOURCE=i...

Even the author of the SAVE Act admits it will make it harder for married women to vote. Also older folks - try to get a decades old birth certificate that was never digitized from a state in which you no longer lives. Every time you move, you need to prove you are a citizen to re-register.

President Trump took advantage of mail-in voting this week in a special election in Florida, even as he criticized mail-in ballots as 'cheating' in his push for national legislation to enact new voting regulations reut.rs/486n9cR

Musk’s own posts on X were cited as part of the lawsuit's claims that the executive branch made an “extreme legal error” in allowing him to assume an outsized government role.

The Trump S$%t Show will be harming American health for years to come. It will be interesting to see if life expectancies fall in the U.S. as the result of this, or if the rate of diseases or bad outcomes from diseases go up. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Funny how it was not a problem to bring it up daily with Biden - but off limits for MSM when it comes to Trump. That's what happens with a corrupt regime. open.substack.com/pub/aaronrup...

From Snopes - a Canadian mom with a valid work visa and her daughter taken into ICE custody. Trump's vision of the "worst of the worst". Great job MAGA voters! Still cheering for mass deportation as they await their tariff checks. www.snopes.com/news/2026/03...

DOGE boys took all our social security info for a reason. We were never told where that info went. Heather Cox Richardson covers the Epstein Files in the first part of her dispatch - damning enough. But do read on to the part about DOGE. open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...

"The fact that people are betting on wars and conflict and people dying is gross. This is war, not a game." - Journalist Emanuel Fabian commenting after he received death threats from gamblers for accurately reporting on an Iranian missile launch. www.theatlantic.com/technology/2...

COMMENTARY: For communities looking to move on from honors for Cesar Chavez, Dolores Huerta is right there. She's always been right there.

europeans when asked to help unblock the strait of hormuz