Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

These days, even the boring Republicans are nuts.

Shut up, hissy kitty!

Wow, I can’t imagine what it was like to comment in morse code.

One of our two political parties is a cult whose leader admires Vladimir Putin.

You come for women, you’re gonna get your ass kicked.

Republicans got rid of McCarthy. Democrats chose not to save him.

Their shamelessness is their super power.

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

With all due respect and assumptions of good faith, please fuck off into the sun.

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

Giving in to doom is how authoritarians win.

This really is a full service blog.

This blog will pay for itself.

These are not very smart people, and things got out of hand.

Books are my comfort food!

This isn’t Democrats spending madly. This is government catching up.

I am pretty sure these ‘journalists’ were not always such a bootlicking sycophants.

Dumb motherfuckers cannot understand a consequence that most 4 year olds have fully sorted out.

Good lord, these people are nuts.

The press swings at every pitch, we don’t have to.

Bark louder, little dog.

Donald Trump found guilty as fuck – May 30, 2024!

The willow is too close to the house.

Republican speaker of the house Mike Johnson is the bland and smiling face of evil.

You are here: Home / Archives for Open Threads

Open Thread: Bad Weather Forecasting

by | 134 Comments

This post is in: , ,

Whether you get your forecast from an app on your phone, a website or a meteorologist on TV, most of the underlying information comes from the federal government.
By @rhersher.bsky.social

[image or embed]

— NPR (@npr.org) May 19, 2025 at 2:27 PM

As hurricane season looms, the effects of DOGE cuts on the U.S. alert system are a new menace, writes @juliettekayyem.bsky.social. “A nation best prepares for a crisis not by ignoring it and hoping it never happens, but by anticipating it and planning for it.”

[image or embed]

— The Atlantic (@theatlantic.com) May 19, 2025 at 5:39 PM


Juliet Kayyem, for the Atlantic — “This Tornado Mayhem Is a Warning”:

The tornadoes that swept through Missouri, Kentucky, and Virginia resulted in a horrifying total of 42 deaths this weekend. Unlike hurricanes, which form steadily and are relatively easy to track, tornadoes are generally hard to predict. Because they appear very quickly, giving populations and emergency services little time to prepare, tornadoes can be particularly deadly.

This is why the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the National Weather Service (NWS) are so crucial for the nation’s emergency-response system. These agencies’ scientists gather and interpret meteorological data, identifying the patterns that should trigger a warning about a dangerous weather event. If we didn’t have that capacity, then we wouldn’t get the warning, and we wouldn’t have time to prepare.

Providing tornado notifications is one of these agencies’ most important tasks. The hierarchy of these alerts—watch, warning, emergency—is not an advisory about a tornado’s intensity but one about its likelihood and imminence. It’s all about time: A tornado watch means, in effect, that you may want to start to get ready if something bad happens; a warning means prepare for imminent danger because tornadoes have been identified in your area; the emergency declaration, though rare, means that you have no more time, and should take cover immediately.

show full post on front page

Open Thread: Bad Weather ForecastingPost + Comments (134)

Squishable Tuesday Morning Open Thread

by | 179 Comments

This post is in: , , ,

Thanks to everyone who chimed in on yesterday’s post about how to save U.S. biomedical research. (Well, almost everyone. I think the usual “let people [and research] in red states die” suspects will be taking big swigs of their own medicine, whether they know it or not.)

For lots of reasons, mobilizing public opinion on this is probably the only way to make an impact here. Much appreciation to those who shared their stories and suggested ways to move forward.

***

Moving forward is on my mind a lot lately. I think maybe a good first step, for me, anyway, is to try to resist taking smug pleasure in the leopards-eating-faces dynamic.

This is difficult for me because taking smug pleasure when those who Fuck Around encounter the Find Out phase is, well, pleasurable. And it seems like a harmless byproduct of a situation I didn’t personally create and in fact put effort into preventing.

But maybe it’s not so harmless? One of the worst people alive, Elon Musk, said, “The fundamental weakness of Western civilization is empathy.”

I believe the opposite is true, that the fundamental strength of humanity is empathy. And for me, anyway, taking satisfaction in the leopards vs. faces dynamic corrodes my capacity for empathy. So I’m going to try not to do that. I will fail! But I will try.

***

This newish resolution was sorely tested this morning when I opened today’s edition of the Miami Herald. Top headline: ‘Cruel decision’: Thousands of Venezuelans left in legal limbo after Supreme Court ruling.

Related frontpage stories: “Supreme Court decision on TPS stuns South Florida, leaves Venezuelan families in fear.” Also: ‘Deeply disappointed’: Miami lawmakers in D.C. react to court decision on Venezuelan TPS.

In a rare display of bipartisanship, Democratic and Republican members of South Florida’s congressional delegation pushed back against a Supreme Court decision Monday that would allow the Trump administration to revoke temporary protections against deportations for hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan migrants. In her most open criticism of efforts to deport legal migrants, Republican U.S. Rep. María Elvira Salazar of Miami, who is advocating for an immigration reform bill, said she was “deeply disappointed” with the decision…

The Supreme Court decision complicates the political scenario for the Republican congressional delegation from Miami, which has tried to quietly lobby administration officials to soften some of its immigration policies behind the scenes but have resisted calling them out publicly.

Salazar (R-FL) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) cosponsored a bill to grant temporary protections to the 600K Venezuelans currently here, but it’s going nowhere. Florida’s Republican reps, who have actual agency since their party controls the House, could refuse to back the GOP budget bill until Trump stops deporting immigrants who haven’t committed crimes with no due process, but that seems unlikely.

So, as with the Trump/GOP-led war on science, it comes down to us, the ordinary citizens. It always does.

***

Programming note: I’m playing hooky tomorrow to go to an afternoon baseball game with my sister and then float around in a pool afterward, sipping handcrafted margaritas. That is her birthday wish.

It occurred to me recently that so much of our lives have revolved around baseball and swimming. That’s not a bad thing!

Open thread.

ETA: TPM’s Josh Marshall wrote a follow-up post about saving U.S. biomedical research. Here’s a gift link.

Squishable Tuesday Morning Open ThreadPost + Comments (179)

War for Ukraine Day 1,180: The Cost

by | 14 Comments

This post is in: , , , , , , ,

A painting by NEIVANMADE> In the center of the painting is a green swing set. It is over a targeting reticle with the red dot dirctly under the swing. Behind it on both the left and right are residential apartment buildings and trees. Above the swing set is an incoming Russian missile. It is red with a yellow "Z" symbol on it. To it's left if the caption "Russian "Ceasefire" in red. Below the reticle, in black, is Stop Child Killers!

(Image by NEIVANMADE)

I just want to say thank you to Ohio Farmer for the kind words in the comments last night after I racked out. You and everyone else is most welcome.

The cost:

This is Anya. She was 27 years old. During the latest drone attack on the Kyiv region, she shielded her four-year-old son, Mark, with her body—giving up her life to save his. The boy is in the hospital, severely injured but alive.

Russia murdered her.

[image or embed]

— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) May 19, 2025 at 8:10 AM

Looks like the UAF has updated the design of its graphic because of the sheer size of the drone attacks that fascist Russia is carrying out nightly.
More information included too:
Top L: number, type of incoming
Center: No. neutralized
– shot down
– location lost/jammed
Types

[image or embed]

— Euan MacDonald (@euanmacdonald.bsky.social) May 19, 2025 at 4:42 AM


President Zelenskyy did not make an address today, but he did hold a press conference:

Zelenskyy asked Trump not to make any decisions about Ukraine without Ukraine.

The President of Ukraine made this statement during a briefing following his conversation with the American leader.

“Ukraine will not withdraw its troops from its own territory and will not yield to Russian ultimatums.”

[image or embed]

— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) May 19, 2025 at 3:12 PM

show full post on front page

War for Ukraine Day 1,180: The CostPost + Comments (14)

Saving Biomedical Research (Open Thread)

by | 72 Comments

This post is in: , , ,

Josh Marshall published a member newsletter at TPM the other day on the topic of how to save American biomedical research. It’s long but worth a read. Here’s a gift link. I’ll include an excerpt below, but in a nutshell, Marshall says the draconian cuts Republicans are making to biomedical research are happening largely under the radar and that it’s urgent to get the word out now.

Every major disease affecting Americans has what we might call a disease community built up around it. These are a mix of survivors, people suffering from the disease, family members, loved ones and caregivers. To a lesser degree, it involves clinicians and those in the caring fields. Sometimes those communities are strongly tied to the quasi-official fund-raising and public awareness organization to the specific disease. But sometimes they’re not. The key is that these aren’t top-down organizations. They’re genuine mass membership organizations and even movements. Often there are a handful of different organizations. But the point is these communities are out there, regardless of precisely how they’re constituted. They’re made up of people who care deeply about the issue and who can make their voices heard. I first started thinking about this when I was speaking to a former NIH researcher and he mentioned to me how he was about to do a Zoom meeting open to members of a breast cancer–focused organization in a mid-sized to large state. Just in that one state and focused on that one (albeit common) disease, the group had about 80,000 members.

Something clicked in my head. And when I did some more poking around, I learned that what’s happening at NIH and in biomedical research generally was only just beginning to make itself known in these disease communities. Put these two things, these two groups, together — the researchers who know what’s happening and the disease communities who need to know — and it’s like a spark in a room filled with gas fumes.

This is really the entire story. I’ve written in other posts about how we’ve learned over recent months that the modern American university is simply not equipped for this kind of assault. It lacks the tools and experience. I’ve described the challenges the researchers have communicating with the broader public. But these people — the people in the disease communities — are all people who speak human. There are lots and lots of them. They will show up at town halls. In their nature, they transcend ordinary political divisions. This is what has to happen. When the people in the world of biomedical research — let’s cut the technical language: disease cure research — make sustained contact with the people in each of these dozen or so disease communities and help them understand what’s happening, that’s the point when I think everything will change.

But will it happen?

And how soon?

I don’t know if this will happen or the timeline, but from what I hear from my contacts in that community, time is running out. The damage is already considerable, and remember, no one asked for this. So, it’s a vulnerability for Republicans if it can be communicated effectively.

I’m not really a “joiner,” so I don’t participate in any groups that have to do with my particular health issue. But I do still get treatment, and I’m thinking of making some flyers to hang in facility bathroom stalls, etc., urging anyone who sees it to access the facts about the cuts and call their federal representatives to object to it. Other suggestions welcome!

Open thread.

Saving Biomedical Research (Open Thread)Post + Comments (72)

Monday Morning Open Thread: Another Week

by | 407 Comments

This post is in: , ,

Video: Sen. Tim Kaine Says Virginians Are NOT Talking to Him About What Joe Biden Should Have Done in 2024, They “are talking to me about can you get rid of the Trump economic chaos,” etc. (Sen. Kaine also talks about Trump's Middle East trip, Russia-Ukraine, etc.) bluevirginia.us/2025/05/vide…

[image or embed]

— Blue Virginia (@bluevirginia.bsky.social) May 18, 2025 at 12:55 PM

beginning to think this whole doge thing might have been a big scam

[image or embed]

— Patrick De Klotz (@patdeklotz.bsky.social) May 16, 2025 at 8:25 PM

There are no trade deals. None, zero.
The only thing that even tiptoes towards a so-called trade deal is the agreement with the UK that is 'an intent to work toward a deal'

[image or embed]

— @NewsJennifer (Jennifer Schulze) (@newsjennifer.bsky.social) May 18, 2025 at 9:34 AM

2/ So much winning:
-Prices are expected to keep rising
-Unemployment expected to inch up
-Economic growth expected to slow
www.cnn.com/2025/05/13/b…

[image or embed]

— @NewsJennifer (Jennifer Schulze) (@newsjennifer.bsky.social) May 18, 2025 at 9:34 AM

[image or embed]

— Mike Luckovich (@mluckovich.bsky.social) May 15, 2025 at 3:00 PM

Monday Morning Open Thread: Another WeekPost + Comments (407)

War for Ukraine Day 1,179: Putin Keeps Probing for Mush

by | 5 Comments

This post is in: , , , , , , ,

A quick housekeeping note: I’m still fried. I’ve got (at least) one more long hard day ahead tomorrow, so I’m just going to run through the basics, get cleaned up, and then rack out.

Today was the commemoration for the Soviet genocide of the Crimean Tatars:

🕯️ We commemorate the victims of the Crimean Tatar people who, in 1944, were subjected to genocide carried out by the Soviet Union, with nearly 200,000 Crimean residents forcibly deported.
1/2

— Latvian MFA 🇱🇻 | #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 (@latvianmfa.bsky.social) May 18, 2025 at 3:02 AM

2/2
Latvia expresses solidarity with the Crimean Tatar people and strongly condemns the human rights violations committed by Russia in Crimea since its illegal annexation in 2014. #CrimeaIsUkraine 🇺🇦

[image or embed]

— Latvian MFA 🇱🇻 | #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 (@latvianmfa.bsky.social) May 18, 2025 at 3:02 AM

President Zelenskyy was in Rome and Vatican City today for meetings with Pope Leo and the latter’s inaugural mass. And the VP of a Thousand Last Names.

There’s nothing sweeter than vatnik tears.

— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) May 18, 2025 at 6:16 PM

I’m Adam L Silverman and I endorse this messsage.

Let’s start with the upcoming Trump-Putin phone call. The Japan Times, republishing from Bloomberg, has the details:

Vladimir Putin believes he has a strong hand ahead of a phone call Monday with Donald Trump and European leaders are trying to prevent the U.S. president from rushing through a deal.

Putin is confident that his forces can break through Ukraine’s defenses by the end of the year to take full control of four regions that he has claimed for Russia, according to a person familiar with the Russian president’s thinking who asked not to named discussing private conversations.

 

That means the Russian president is unlikely to offer any meaningful concessions to Trump when the two leaders speak and European officials are worried that Trump may try to force through a settlement regardless.

The U.S. president has been pushing for a quick end to a war that is now deep into its fourth year and has backed himself to unlock a deal in a direct conversation with Putin. The Russian leader, for his part, has given no indication that he’s ready to stop fighting as his troops slowly grind forward on the battlefield and that’s fueled concern in Kyiv and other European capitals that Ukraine could be pushed into giving up more ground.

“Unfortunately where we are in the war, you don’t see strong incentives for Russia to agree to a ceasefire,” Michael Kofman, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment, said at a conference in Tallinn, Estonia, Sunday.

There’s a growing sense that U.S. efforts to impose a ceasefire are culminating and officials in Europe are unsure whether Trump will ramp up pressure on Russia or simply move on to the next challenge if they fail. Trump has promised to brief Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and some of his NATO allies once he’s finished speaking with his Russian counterpart.

Despite all the talk about ending the fighting, Putin is ready for a protracted war if that is what is required to achieve his goals and he is sanguine about the prospect of further U.S. sanctions, according to two other people close to the Kremlin.

“Trump wants Putin to agree to a truce but he absolutely doesn’t want to,” said Sergei Markov, a political consultant with close ties to the Kremlin. “But Putin isn’t interested in a collapse of the talks. He’s trying to maneuver so that these negotiations continue alongside the military offensive.”

On a call Friday, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, France’s Emmanuel Macron and the U.K.’s Keir Starmer tried to make it clear to Trump that Putin has been stringing him along, according to one senior European official. They are hoping that Trump will realize that he risks looking like a loser if he forces a bad deal on Ukraine, the official added.

Zelenskyy was also on the Friday call but he seemed despondent and exhausted by the week’s developments, the official said. Zelenskyy and his European allies believed they had a commitment from Trump to hit the Kremlin with fresh sanctions if Putin refused to observe a ceasefire from last Monday, but that hasn’t materialized.

“Putin has been emboldened by his ability to make maximalist demands of Ukraine without experiencing any serious pushback from the Trump administration,” said Bota Iliyas, a senior analyst at Prism, a strategic intelligence firm in London. “Putin doesn’t trust Trump. But he will push Trump to align with Russia’s vision for a ceasefire.”

Much more at the link.

The only way to change the risk versus reward calculus for Putin is the exact same thing that it has been for the past three years: give Ukraine what it needs to defeat Russia on the battlefield as quickly as possible. Otherwise Putin will use his far greater population to keep trying to exhaust the Ukrainians. A long, grinding, protracted war is not a problem for Putin. Reality has not changed for three years: Putin and Russia are either stopped in Ukraine and pushed back within Russia’s borders or he will threaten all of the former states of the Soviet Union and then the rest of Europe.

Istanbul talks showed Putin aims for a grand diplomatic deal to restore Russian dominance over post-Soviet space, per Sky News.
news.sky.com/story/ukrain…

[image or embed]

— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) May 18, 2025 at 1:56 PM

More after the jump.

show full post on front page

War for Ukraine Day 1,179: Putin Keeps Probing for MushPost + Comments (5)

Late Night Open Thread: Flag Humper’s Day D.C. Parade

by | 50 Comments

This post is in: , , ,

Late Night Open Thread: Flag Humper's Day Parade

(Jack Ohman via GoComics.com)

 

Waste, fraud & abuse

[image or embed]

— Virginia Gewin (@virginiagewin.bsky.social) May 15, 2025 at 10:06 AM

So, why hasn’t this drawn more general attention yet? Does everyone with a large public platform doubt it’ll actually happen? Per Reuters, “Trump, US Army birthday bash plans include 25 Abrams tanks”:

Twin celebrations of U.S. President Donald Trump’s birthday and the Army’s 250th anniversary will include as many as 25 tanks rolling through Washington in a celebration that will cost $25 million to $45 million, U.S. officials told Reuters on Wednesday.

U.S. military service branches take pride in their history and anniversary celebrations, called birthdays, across the United States and on bases around the world.

The U.S. Army had long been planning to move troops and equipment to the National Mall in Washington on June 14 as part of its anniversary celebration. Plans now include a parade since that coincides with Trump’s 79th birthday.

Two U.S. officials told Reuters, on condition of anonymity, the eventual cost could be as high as $45 million. One of them said the cost included several million dollars more than it would have without a parade.

The official added that the Army is planning on sending about two dozen M1 Abrams tanks for the celebration.

The officials’ latest estimates exclude costs the city of Washington would have to bear, like trash cleanup or road repairs for damage from the heavy tanks…

Critics have called a parade an authoritarian display of power that is wasteful, especially as Trump slashes costs throughout the federal government.

During his first administration, Trump ordered the Pentagon to look into a display of military might after a 2017 trip to France where he and French President Emmanuel Macron reviewed that country’s defense forces marching down the Avenue des Champs-Elysees in Paris.

That effort would have cost $90 million…

Late Night Open Thread: Flag Humper’s Day D.C. ParadePost + Comments (50)