FFS: Covid․gov now points to a ‘lab leak’ conspiracy website
“We’re from the government, we’re here to lie to you.”
Anti-Vax Doctor Praised by RFK Jr. Pushes Wild Theory About Measles
Some of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s allies are claiming measles is actually a government bioweapon. Don’t worry, they have a hundred-dollar cure for it.
That’s not how anything works. Vaccinate your kids.
Finished: The Trial, by Franz Kafka 📚. Not at all what I vaguely remembered from my last reading 40+ years ago, which just goes to show that callow 20-year-olds shouldn’t read Kafka. Also arguably a bit too on point to read in 2025. I doubt the current administration would see a problem in Joseph K’s treatment.
U.S.-born American citizen under ICE hold in Florida after driving from Georgia
Well this is fucking insane. Despite having his birth certificate verified by a court, this guy is still in jail and apparently on the fast track to America’s new gulag.
Appeals Court supports Judge Xinis
This can’t be quoted enough:
“It is difficult in some cases to get to the very heart of the matter,” one of the judges, J. Harvie Wilkinson III, wrote. “But in this case, it is not hard at all. The government is asserting a right to stash away residents of this country in foreign prisons without the semblance of due process that is the foundation of our constitutional order. Further, it claims in essence that because it has rid itself of custody that there is nothing that can be done. This should be shocking not only to judges, but to the intuitive sense of liberty that Americans far removed from courthouses still hold dear.”
Supreme Court to hear rare May arguments in birthright citizenship battle
Good that the birthright citizenship nonsense is blocked until at least May. But deeply, deeply disturbing that the Court even feels the need to hear arguments on this shit. Should have been an easy 9-0 decision.
Minnesota Republicans elect a flat-earther to a party leadership post
Keep it classy, Republicans.
This ‘College Protester’ Isn’t Real. It’s an AI-Powered Undercover Bot for Cops
More from the “AI is not your friend” files. Perhaps every new technology gets used for porn first, but it gets used for repression second.
Nate Silver gives early nod to Ocasio-Cortez for 2028
You know who would love AOC as the Democratic presidential nominee? Republicans. The attack ads would practically write themselves. Much as I’d like to see a progressive candidate, I’d like even more to see an electable one.
“Too Large”
Olympus E-M10 IV, 7 Artisans 7.5mm f/2.8 fisheye lens @ f/11, 1/20s, ISO 200. Along the Shale Ridge trail.
Google just arbitrarily switched on Gemini on my phone. Do Not Want. Took ten minutes in settings to eviscerate it. I’m about at the point where I need to dump Android. Not sure what comes next. Certainly not iOS. A pox on all their houses and the AI they rode in on.
Joe Biden Launches a Comeback No One Is Asking For
Just what it says. Biden was an OK President, but really, he’s done enough damage. He needs to stay out of the public eye and write his memoirs or run his library or something.
Toy industry CEO on Trump’s China tariffs: ‘Christmas is at risk’
Plot twist: the War on Christmas was being led by Republicans all along.
Expect to see a raft of conservative editorials promoting a return to the “true spirit of Christmas” and non-commercial celebrations.
Judge orders Trump officials’ depositions, blasts inaction in Abrego Garcia case
Judge Xinis is tired of taking shit from the administration. Presumably the administration is drafting its next emergency appeal to the Supreme Court even as I type.
World wants more trade with Europe since Trump-driven uncertainty, von der Leyen says
At least someone gets to benefit from the tariffs.
Blackmagic Design says tariffs have made camera price hikes ‘unavoidable’
And also, they’re rethinking plans to build a US factory. Literally the opposite of what we were promised these super-high tariffs would achieve.
The CVE program for tracking security flaws is about to lose federal funding
What could possibly go wrong?
Pronouns in some reporters' email signatures get a stony response from Trump administration
The Trump/Musk administration continues to display an amazing combination of pettiness, incompetence, and cruelty.
Harvard rejects Trump demands for funding
How sad is it that one institution fighting back against the fascists is a major win? It’s a major win nonetheless. Good for you, Harvard.
The rule of law is pretty much dead in the USA
Trump, Bukele say they won’t return mistakenly deported man to US
As if we couldn’t strong-arm El Salvador into doing anything we want to keep us paying them to keep people in their gulag. This is fucking appalling, not to mention a blatant disregard of the federal courts.
At this point, though, I would support putting some US citizens into El Salvador prisons for a lifetime of hard labor: specifically, Donald Trump, Stephen Miller, and Pam Bondi. I hope I live long enough to see a serious day of reckoning for the thugs and fascists in this administration.