Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Every reporter and pundit should have to declare if they ever vacationed with a billionaire.

They are lying in pursuit of an agenda.

If you are still in the gop, you are either an extremist yourself, or in bed with those who are.

Anyone who bans teaching American history has no right to shape America’s future.

Their freedom requires your slavery.

When we show up, we win.

We can show the world that autocracy can be defeated.

A norm that restrains only one side really is not a norm – it is a trap.

Nothing worth doing is easy.

Imperialist aggressors must be defeated, or the whole world loses.

The way to stop violence is to stop manufacturing the hatred that fuels it.

Also, are you sure you want people to rate your comments?

The republican speaker is a slippery little devil.

Wait, what?

Every decision we make has lots of baggage with it, known or unknown.

Oppose, oppose, oppose. do not congratulate. this is not business as usual.

After dobbs, women are no longer free.

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

One lie, alone, tears the fabric of reality.

The republican caucus is covering themselves with something, and it is not glory.

When you’re a Republican, they let you do it.

You don’t get to peddle hatred on saturday and offer condolences on sunday.

It is possible to do the right thing without the promise of a cookie.

Marge, god is saying you’re stupid.

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Anne Laurie has been a Balloon Juice writer since 2009.

Open Thread: Our ‘Not Enough Facepalms’ Administration

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Iran rejects ceasefire as widely predicted.

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— George Pearkes (@peark.es) March 25, 2026 at 8:38 AM

Forget TACO, we are approaching the NACHOOO Zone
Not
Able to
Cease
Hostilities
On
Our
Own
‪

This is what is consistently missing from coverage of Trump’s blurts about the war, and especially market reaction. He controls very little.
The key to ending the war is reopening the Straight, and Iran has total control over when (and what) transit occurs there. The war ends when they say so.

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— Douglas Moser (@douglasmoser.bsky.social) March 25, 2026 at 12:33 PM

No problem, libs!

We are literally planning an actual war around what is essentially a Call of Duty highlight reel.

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— Starfire’s Deranged Neocon Foreign Policy Podcast (@irhottakes.bsky.social) March 25, 2026 at 8:02 AM

… The daily montage typically runs for about two minutes, sometimes longer, the officials said. One described each daily video as a series of clips of “stuff blowing up.”

The highlight reel of U.S. Central Command bombing Iranian equipment and military sites isn’t the only briefing Trump gets about the war. He’s also updated through conversations with top military and intelligence advisers, foreign leaders and news reports, the officials said.

But the video briefing is fueling concerns among some of Trump’s allies that he may not be receiving — or absorbing — the complete picture of the war, now in its fourth week, two of the current officials and the former official said.

They said the videos are also driving Trump’s increasing frustration with news coverage of the war. Trump has pointed to the success depicted in the daily videos to privately question why his administration can’t better influence the public narrative, asking aides why the news media doesn’t emphasize what he’s seeing, one of the current U.S. officials and the former U.S. official said. ..

“We can’t tell him every single thing that happens,” a current U.S. official said. The official noted that Trump’s briefings tend to draw better feedback from his aides when they focus on U.S. victories.

Overall, the official said, the information Trump gets about the war tends to emphasize U.S. successes, with comparatively little detail about Iranian actions.

One example came this month when five U.S. Air Force refueling planes were hit in an Iranian strike at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, according to one of the current U.S. officials. Trump wasn’t briefed about the strikes, and he learned what had happened from media reports, the official said. When Trump inquired, he was told the planes weren’t badly damaged, the official said.

The official said Trump reacted angrily behind the scenes to the news coverage. Publicly he posted on Truth Social calling coverage of the strike misleading and accusing media organizations of wanting the U.S. “to lose the War.” …

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Plagues & Pandemics Update – March 25, 2026

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Early official COVID-19 death tolls may have been undercounted by 19%.
The findings indicate that the US system reported COVID-19 deaths inequitably, which hid the true extent of pandemic mortality and disparities.
Read more: ow.ly/5jH850YwvKp

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— CIDRAP (@cidrap.bsky.social) March 19, 2026 at 4:37 PM

New COVID variant with immune escape potential confirmed in US & 22 other countries.
BA.3.2 represents a new lineage of SARS-CoV-2, genetically distinct from the JN.1 lineages that have circulated in the US since January 2024.
Read more: ow.ly/Q50350YxOSv
Photo Credit: NIAID

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— CIDRAP (@cidrap.bsky.social) March 23, 2026 at 5:58 PM

Study: Early Detection and Surveillance of the SARS-CoV-2 Variant BA.3.2 — Worldwide, November 2024–February 2026
Published: March 19, 2026
www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes…

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— Denis – The COVID Info Guy (@thecovidinfoguy.bsky.social) March 23, 2026 at 9:03 PM

The SARS-CoV-2 variant BA.3.2 was first identified in South Africa on November 22, 2024. BA.3.2 has approximately 70–75 substitutions and deletions in the gene sequence of the spike protein relative to JN.1 and its descendant, LP.8.1, the antigens used in the 2025–26 COVID-19 vaccines. CDC is using a multimodal SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance approach to monitor the emergence and spread of BA.3.2 and other SARS-CoV-2 variants internationally and within the United States. The first U.S. BA.3.2 detection occurred on June 27, 2025, through CDC’s Traveler-Based Genomic Surveillance program in a participant traveling to the United States from the Netherlands. The first U.S. detection of BA.3.2 in a clinical specimen collected from a patient was reported on January 5, 2026. As of February 11, 2026, BA.3.2 had been detected in voluntarily self-collected nasal swabs from four U.S. travelers, clinical samples from five patients, three airplane wastewater samples, and 132 wastewater surveillance samples from 25 states. BA.3.2 has been reported by at least 23 countries. SARS-CoV-2 continues to cause substantial morbidity and mortality worldwide. BA.3.2 mutations in the spike protein have the potential to reduce protection from a previous infection or vaccination. Continued genomic surveillance is needed to track SARS-CoV-2 evolution and determine its potential effect on public health…

“There is no indication that BA.3.2 causes a different kind of illness. Like other recent variants, it appears to cause mostly mild, cold-like symptoms, making it difficult to distinguish from other respiratory infections.”

USA: "A new COVID variant is showing up in California — here’s what to know."
"BA.3.2 carries roughly 70 to 75 mutations in its spike protein compared with recent strains… Some of those changes may help it partially evade immunity from past infections or vaccination."
Source: archive.md/ALU3i

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— Denis – The COVID Info Guy (@thecovidinfoguy.bsky.social) March 24, 2026 at 7:06 PM

USA: Epidemic trend summary: Mar 20, 2026
COVID-19
As of March 17, 2026:
🔹0 states have COVID-19 infections growing or likely growing
🔹45 state has infections declining or likely declining
🔹3 states show no change
Source: cdc.gov/cfa-modeling…

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— Denis – The COVID Info Guy (@thecovidinfoguy.bsky.social) March 21, 2026 at 7:07 PM

Influenza
As of March 17, 2026:
🔹3 states have Influenza infections growing or likely growing
🔹37 states has infections declining or likely declining
🔹9 states show no change
Source: cdc.gov/cfa-modeling…

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— Denis – The COVID Info Guy (@thecovidinfoguy.bsky.social) March 21, 2026 at 7:07 PM

RSV
As of March 17, 2026:
🔹4 states have RSV infections growing or likely growing
🔹35 states has infections declining or likely declining
🔹10 states shows no change
Source: cdc.gov/cfa-modeling…

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— Denis – The COVID Info Guy (@thecovidinfoguy.bsky.social) March 21, 2026 at 7:07 PM

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Plagues & Pandemics Update – March 25, 2026Post + Comments (81)

Open Thread: ICE (Rhinestone) Cowboy

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The Senate confirmed Markwayne Mullin as homeland security secretary on Monday.

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— The New York Times (@nytimes.com) March 23, 2026 at 9:00 PM

Gift link:

… Mr. Mullin, a Cherokee Nation member who was sworn in as Oklahoma’s junior senator in 2023, will take charge of the Homeland Security Department at a pivotal time. Recent polling has shown that Republicans’ advantage on immigration is shrinking and that most Americans believe that immigration agents have gone too far, especially after the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis in January. Mr. Mullin will have to balance the task of mending the agency’s image while also delivering on President Trump’s signature campaign promise of mass deportations.

He will also take the reins at a time when thousands of department employees are working without pay amid a partial government shutdown that has led to scenes of chaos at airports across the country. On Monday, Mr. Trump deployed more than 100 immigration agents to airports in an effort to ease long security lines as the ranks of Transportation Security Administration officers have thinned…

At his confirmation hearing, Mr. Mullin made clear that he was committed to fulfilling the administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration. But he also tried to strike a more cooperative tone, saying that immigration officers would generally no longer enter homes without a judicial warrant under his leadership. And he said the department would foster closer relationships with jails, suggesting a move away from sweeping operations in Democratic-led cities and states…

A close ally of Mr. Trump and a staunch defender of his policies, Mr. Mullin was sworn in as a senator after a decade of serving in the House. He had a brief stint as a mixed martial arts fighter and took over his family’s business, Mullin Plumbing, at the age of 20.

I would generally say that leaving the senate to take DHS director indicates that he doesn't want to be in the minority senate, tbh.

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— Schnorkles O'Bork (@schnorkles.bsky.social) March 24, 2026 at 10:51 AM

There is also the possibility he saw Noem's grift racket and thought "maybe if I just do it a little bit less.."

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— Schnorkles O'Bork (@schnorkles.bsky.social) March 24, 2026 at 10:59 AM

About that… Per the NYTimes, “How Trump’s Homeland Security Pick, a Prolific Investor, Got a Lot Wealthier in Congress” [gift link]

Our outnumbered Democrats went down fighting, and took markers:

I will hold Mullin to every one of his promises.

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— Senator Andy Kim (@kim.senate.gov) March 23, 2026 at 9:08 PM

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Open Thread: Second Order Effects

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Open Thread: Second Order Effects

The REDUCE-REUSE-RECYCLE triangle but it's slowly tapping a baseball bat against its palm.

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— Airbuilder7 (@airbuilder7.bsky.social) March 24, 2026 at 12:19 PM

Ok now it’s several plastics suppliers all saying 7-10% increase effective immediately
So anything you see that is mostly plastic, which is most stuff these days, is now 7-10% more expensive
I should note I did not get plastics notices in the past when oil spiked
It was always steel/metals

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— BEAN YEAR (@billhookunion.beanyear.com) March 13, 2026 at 11:09 AM

Yeah, hearing from clients that the major industrial suppliers are about to pass what was described as “double-digit price increases” in raw material (resins, etc.). Labor’s still a big component input, but this means substantial (call it 3-7%) price hikes since companies are already eating tariffs.

Two years ago they might have taken the hit rather than pass it along to customers, but no one can afford to do that a year into Tariff Grandpa killing their margins.

Donald Trump single handedly doing more to tighten the plastic supply than years of green initiatives lmao

— Schnorkles O'Bork (@schnorkles.bsky.social) March 24, 2026 at 12:26 PM

trump break world economy

— Schnorkles O'Bork (@schnorkles.bsky.social) March 24, 2026 at 12:06 PM

The pandemic was when I was educated on how vital resins are to manufacturing. You basically can’t have any food product packaging without it. In the spring of 2020, resin supplies for a lot of manufacturers got dangerously low and R&D people were asked for “solutions”. Their response: 🤷

It got to the point where buyers were sending people to the docks where the resins were being loaded to ensure they were loaded on the right vessel bc other buyers were going to ports and doing live deals to buy the resin out from under you.

Open Thread: Second Order Effects 1

Open Thread: Second Order EffectsPost + Comments (135)

Tuesday Morning Open Thread

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Tuesday Morning Open Thread 27

Over 3,000 "No Kings" protests are scheduled nationwide for March 28, with California leading the movement with over 300 confirmed local events.
‘No Kings’ movement set to sweep California with mass protests planned for March 28
www.foxla.com/news/no-king…

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— Lauren Ashley Davis (@laurenmeidasa.bsky.social) March 23, 2026 at 12:42 PM

"Trump’s decision to back down from his threat to destroy Iran’s power infrastructure came after US allies and Gulf countries privately warned the president of the dangers of following through" bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-03-23/trump-s-market-driven-reversal-buys-time-but-skepticism-abounds

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— Patrick Chovanec (@prchovanec.bsky.social) March 23, 2026 at 11:01 PM

Trump casts a mail ballot again in Florida even as he calls the method 'cheating'

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— Ryan J. Reilly “paints a vivid and urgent portrait of… disarray” (@ryanjreilly.com) March 23, 2026 at 10:11 PM

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Late Night Open Thread: “God Is A Comedian”

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This is excellent.
open.substack.com/pub/no01/p/m…

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— Bill Kristol (@billkristolbulwark.bsky.social) March 22, 2026 at 7:53 PM

The Trickster God is certainly not a *subtle* comedian, and Donald Trump is one of his strongest chaos agents. Clips from this post at the Gold and Geopolitics SubStack are being widely shared, with good reason:

It is a well-established fact that the universe has a sense of humour. It is less well-established, but increasingly obvious, that the humour is of the kind best enjoyed from a great distance, like, let’s say the moon.

Three weeks into the Iran war, reality has passed through the looking glass, out the other side, and is now selling tickets to the gift shop. What follows is not satire. Satire requires exaggeration, and you cannot exaggerate something that is already operating at maximum absurdity. This is simply the news, and nothing but the news. Told straight, in a universe that has clearly stopped taking its medication.

The United States is sending 5,000 Marines into the Persian Gulf to seize Kharg Island, a speck of land 15 miles off the Iranian coast that handles 90% of Iran’s oil exports. This is, on paper, a reasonable military objective in the same way that sticking your hand into a beehive is a reasonable way to acquire honey. It is technically correct. The bees would disagree…

A White House source told Axios they need “about a month to weaken the Iranians more” before attempting this. One month. Of a war Trump described as ‘winding down’ on Friday – three weeks in, which by his count is basically four days… Both statements were made, as far as anyone can tell, by people who occupy the same government and occasionally share a building.

A former Navy SEAL called the plan “insane”. A retired Vice Admiral called it “a massacre-in-making scenario”. A retired Rear Admiral pointed out that even if they seize the island, Iran simply turns off the pipeline at the other end. Frankly, I think they’re being extremely polite. This is a clusterfuck of historic proportions and everyone who’s ever held a rank knows it…

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Late Night Open Thread: <em>“God Is A Comedian”</em>Post + Comments (48)

Open Thread: Baghdad Boobs

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Damn, Gerry Baker. ??

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— Carl Quintanilla (@carlquintanilla.bsky.social) March 23, 2026 at 11:18 AM

Call me a radical, but I don’t think we should start wars based on clear hallucinations.

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— Malaclypse the Middle (@malaclypse.bsky.social) March 23, 2026 at 12:51 PM

Open Thread: Baghdad Boobs

Hegseth should be fired immediately if "nobody was even thinking about." It is called contingency planning.

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— Geoff Garin (@geoffgarin.bsky.social) March 23, 2026 at 12:58 PM

If Hegseth is smart, he will recognize this as Trump contemplating, out loud, what it would be like to throw Hegseth under the bus for this entire fiasco.

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— Gus Orviston (@orviston.bsky.social) March 23, 2026 at 1:24 PM

Trump blames Hegseth for the war: "Pete, I think you were the first one to speak up. You said, 'Let's do it.'"

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— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) March 23, 2026 at 12:58 PM

Might be for the best…

ICYMI: Democrats who said US military servicemembers can refuse illegal orders raised alarms when Pete Hegseth said "no quarter, no mercy for our enemies." Offering "no quarter" is a textbook definition of a war crime.
www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a…

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— Eric Michael Garcia (@ericmgarcia.bsky.social) March 23, 2026 at 8:51 AM

Sad trombone coda:

The Islamic Republic of Iran’s Embassy in South Africa is trolling President Trump’s comments on who will control the Strait of Hormuz.

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— Yashar Ali ?? (@yasharali.bsky.social) March 23, 2026 at 2:52 PM

Open Thread: Baghdad BoobsPost + Comments (101)