Hegseth & Trump work for Putin.

It seems really important to this administration that Russia not be "the enemy." Even if doing so makes us lose all our friends.

"Effective secretaries empower senior military leaders to provide candid advice. They expect disagreement. They understand that professional tension is not insubordination." Sure would be nice to have one right now.

NYT: Hegseth demanded the resignation of the commander of U.S. forces in Europe and NATO, General Christopher Cavoli, who stated in a declaration submitted to the Senate committee in April that Russia poses a "chronic" and "growing" threat

Ignore the sceptics: with this new vaccine, chickenpox could become a thing of the past | Wes Streeting

"DATA CENTER WATER USE DOESN'T MATTER" is one of the silliest arguments I see floating around. unless you think re-writing 200 yr old water law (OG political third rail in the US) is a simple matter, the marginal consumption of new water is literally make or break for much of life in the western US

There are multiple national political commentators who earnestly predicted that Eric Adams would be a legitimate presidential candidate and a national figurehead of the Democratic party by now and those commentators still have careers somehow.

For years, Republicans insisted antisemitism was a problem of the left. That claim is collapsing as the right is forced into an ugly public reckoning with the extremists it has long tolerated.

Having Grok issue an “apology” is not just insulting and stupid (obviously Grok cannot actually “regret” anything, deeply or otherwise) but cowardly: It asks us to assign responsibility to an unconscious piece of software rather than the humans and institutions who should actually be blamed.

Who can say whether bombing boats with cocaine bound for Europe will ameliorate the fentanyl scourge in the U.S.?

I don't believe I've seen this before: FN1: " . . . Therefore, the court holds that facilitating his return in this context means providing either transportation to a port of entry or financial support to reach a port of entry."

TIMES OF ISRAEL: “Culture Minister Miki Zohar, of the ruling Likud party, says Gaza belongs to Israel, and that Palestinians in the territory are “guests” whom Israel is merely allowing to live there for now.” www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_ent...

Companies churn out best/worst lists knowing credulous news outlets will publish them for clicks. The President may have just relied on one to cut off a clean drinking water project in Colorado.

Remember when he was done with Republicans forever and starting his own party? A few months ago?

Experts say Biden's focus on addiction health care saved tens of thousands of lives and slowed fentanyl smuggling. Trump scrapped Biden's approach in favor of military strikes. n.pr/4aE5knH

Effective today, CA’s ban on law enforcement wearing masks (with exceptions for undercover) takes effect. ICE agents will be identified and held accountable for their human rights violations in CA. Trump can’t pardon CA State convictions #Voices4Victory #ProudBlue m.youtube.com/watch?v=c2Rx...

Mark my words, the number of predatory ‘insurance’ companies are going to skyrocket. Offering, ‘low cost,’ premiums, and targeting the desperate before denying claims and running off with their money. I wouldn’t doubt, many of those will be subsidiaires of the big ones, to screw us even more…

Or, as John Roberts puts it, “engaging in constitutionally protected free speech”

Translation: the comments aren’t going my way anymore. Stir up racist panic, smear whole communities, then claim there are “bounties” on you when people push back. Welcome to accountability. No one’s after you, your credibility just collapsed.

NEW: President Trump cites people leaving Colorado "in droves" as a reason he vetoed a bipartisan clean drinking water project. Trump appears to rely on a single moving company's survey, which is contradicted by four similar surveys and government stats. www.9news.com/article/news...

⚡️👇🏽 www.documentcloud.org/documents/26...

Christofascism on the move

A Utah-based federal judge has orderd the Trump administration to facilitate the return of a man who administration officials acknowledge was deported in violation of a court order. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

lol I just came across this post by Zoharn’s wife Rama Duwaji’s stylist and the boots were…. on loan open.substack.com/pub/brainmat...

“I’m sure you’re aware of our connections with the Trump Administration,” the North Carolina Republican Party's communications director wrote in an email response to us. “I would strongly suggest dropping this story.” We didn't. #ICYMI, read the story that he wanted dropped:

Earlier this evening I noted that those who were just priced completely out of the market won’t be counted as part of the “average premium hike” calculation once the dust settles on the ACA Open enrollment Period.

I missed this from the Manhattan Institute survey on December 1 of the "current GOP." 37% are Holocaust deniers, which, to my surprise, is greater than the percentage (33%) that believes vaccines cause autism.

Grim Unsurprising, but grim

one of whom was literally fucking assassinated. the person responsible for the agenda he got to run on as a VP candidate. melissa hortman said they weren’t going to sit on their hands with a trifecta. she said lets fucking go and she led one of the most impactful legislative sessions ever.

So the site currently isn’t working, but if you’re a California resident this is probably worth bookmarking to check out once it’s back up

Around 40 people are dead and more than 100 are injured after a fire tore through a bar in the Swiss mountain ski town of Crans-Montana. https://to.pbs.org/3KWmZg9

RFK Jr. released a 25-second video on Twitter entitled, “New Year’s Resolution=MAHA”. As best I could estimate, about 70% of the video was him doing workout-ish things while either wearing a tie or denim jeans. This tracks with HHS people who say he’s never at work, and his vanity rules him.

Detr♥️it

Mamdani is channeling FDR’s rhetoric and worldview. There are problems to solve and we are going to try to solve them using all the powers of government for the benefit of all.

MAGA to elders: "Time to die." www.washingtonpost.com/health/2026/...

Happy new year to you and your family. I hope this year brings you health and good fortune. Let’s make 2026 better than last year. Blessings to you all.

The idea that $630 shoes represent an apex of conspicuous opulence in the year 2026 should draw laughs. Jeff Bezos rented Venice for his wedding. Mark Zuckerberg owns 4 mi² of Kauai. Are these people kidding?

Mamdani’s speech was dogma shattering. We should appreciate just how audacious decrying rugged individualism and extolling government/collectivism is. He has a *moral* vision to sell along with his policies, and it’s precisely what the left/liberals need.

Reagan, 1981: “In the present crisis, government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.” Clinton, 1996: “I say again, the era of big government is over. But we cannot go back to the era of fending for yourself.” Mamdani, 2026:

Fascism is essentially at its core a form of conspiracy theory wielded by the capitalist class to misdirect from the exploitation and harm they inflict upon us. Et voila.

“But enough of these apparatchiks have figured out or have been shown how to open the doors to exercising power that they are dangerous indeed. These velociraptor-like operatives don’t need to act with great precision or finesse. Brute force will do the trick.” www.thebulwark.com/p/when-it-co...

This is my shocked face. www.reuters.com/business/hea...

Duke Health has had to restrict visitors as it contends with a doubling of flu hospitalizations in the past week. Y’all get your flu shots immediately if you haven’t already.

Masked agents dragged a teacher from her classroom. They pepper-sprayed a toddler. They shot a father of two, for the crime of trying to go to work. This is Trump’s America—and we need your help to keep exposing it. trib.al/PPcIE3e

How many wars has Trump really ended? We asked four Mar-a-Lago club members seeking presidential pardons.

As billionaires' influence has grown, so too has skepticism. In a recent poll, 58% of respondents said billionaires' spending on campaigns is bad for the country. https://to.pbs.org/4jjPpgN

An illustration by Rama Duwaji, First Lady of New York City. www.ramaduwaji.com/illustration...

David Bowie had a lot to say about black artists and lack thereof on MTV youtu.be/XZGiVzIr8Qg?...

MTV originally centered rock music and blocked videos by Black artists, but pressure from CBS Records and the popularity of Billie Jean, Beat It, and Thriller made that position impossible to defend. Jackson forced the door open and changed the network forever, paving the way for artists of color.