Imagine. We. Can.

nytimes.comAn Extremely Detailed Ranking of the Most Gerrymandered States in America (Gift Article)Our guide to the most brazen, twisted and even innocuous maps that will help determine the midterms.

If you're wondering how gerrymandering might or might not affect your vote in your own state, this deep dive on 44 states with more than one district ranked by the fairness of their congressional maps just might have some answers for you. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Expat Hawaiʻi voter and got my digital "HI Voted" sticker for voting from abroad in the 2026 general election. Thanks to all who make an effort to cast their vote! Your vote matters! cc: @notbeforenoon.bsky.social @demsabroadjapan.bsky.social @demsabroad.bsky.social @votefromabroad.bsky.social

nytimes.comTrump Administration Asks Supreme Court to Allow Border Wall Construction (Gift Article)A lower court judge had halted the administration’s plan to erect hundreds of miles of barriers in the Big Bend region of Texas.

Why isn't the motherfucking supreme Court subject to the same restrictions of not making key decisions so close to an election!?!?! www.nytimes.com/2026/10/21/u...

nytimes.comI took this week's Flashback quizSee how well you know the week's news with the Flashback quiz.

So I figured if I can't excel in Wordle, then maybe just maybe... Flashback for Oct. 17, 2026 25 points 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩🟥🟩 Play here: www.nytimes.com/shared/v1/fl...

wapo.stTrump approval hits record low, handing Democrats a clear midterm edgeThe president’s approval is at 33 percent, with 66 percent disapproving and just over half saying they disapprove strongly. Meanwhile, midterm support for Democrats is rising.

But this begs the question: why no panic by Rapist and Convicted Felon Trump or GOP? Why no course correction? Rallies alone won't do much beyond his base. So, once again: what's he know that we don't know? He must be counting on something other than votes?!? —Gift Article— wapo.st/4inunih

youtube.comBrooklyn Funk Essentials "Bust The Bus Stop" | Jazz in Marciac 2026YouTube video by Jazz In Marciac

Hey, everybody! The weekend's coming on fast! So you've got just enought time to unload all this crazy political bullshit and get your funk on. Get off your butts and loosen up to "Bust The Bus Stop" by Brooklyn Funk Essentials. #horns #funk www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mr1...

nytimes.comKatie Zacharia Makes Bumpy Debut as Trump’s New Press Secretary (Gift Article)Ms. Zacharia spent eight minutes reading from a script, called on only three reporters and made an awkward slip-up.

My takeaway from the article, which honestly reads like an opinion piece in parts: "Reporters are animals. They can smell fear." Hmm, guess so. And I've already heard a Scaramucci countdown mentioned by a commentator. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/13/u...

nytimes.comFederal Agents Search Home of Rep. Ilhan Omar (Gift Article)The search takes place within the 60-day window of the midterm elections, when the Justice Department has historically avoided such investigative steps related to political candidates.

Don't know all the details yet, but if this racist assault against Rep. Ilhan Omar continues, if/when the Dems actually get in power, they better get off their motherfucking butts and open investigations into Melania's questionable visa acquisition. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/12/u...

Ruin a book by adding a word. Portnoy's Liver's Complaint

Elizabeth Picciuto@epicciuto.bsky.social

Ruin a book by adding a word: Slaughterhouse High Five

nytimes.comKatie Zacharia Picked as Trump’s New White House Press Secretary (Gift Article)Ms. Zacharia is a conservative commentator who is also an adviser to the company that runs President Trump’s social media site, Truth Social. She succeeds Karoline Leavitt.

“She has an unblemished record of support, and has been a loyal and brilliant supporter, right from the beginning,” [Rapist and Convicted Felon] Trump gushed on Truth Social. And he's probably already told her she reminds him of Ivanka. So, not Mike Johnson, huh. www.nytimes.com/2026/10/09/u...?

Oh, hell. Phew is right! Wordle 1,938 6/6 ⬜⬜⬜⬜🟩 ⬜⬜⬜🟩🟩 ⬜⬜⬜🟩🟩 🟩🟩⬜🟩🟩 🟩🟩⬜🟩🟩 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

nytimes.comMargaret Hamilton, Whose Software Guided the Apollo Missions, Has Died (Gift Article)Margaret Hamilton, the first female programmer hired to work on the space project at M.I.T., was 90.

Awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama, and honored with her own Lego figure, Margaret Hamilton was an Apollo 11 software pioneer. RIP among the stars. (Be sure to follow the article's link to Google's "Margaret by Moonlight" tribute.) www.nytimes.com/2026/10/07/o...

nytimes.comTrump Does Not Plan to Reimburse Taxpayers for Promotional Ads (Gift Article)A day after the president said his super PAC would pay for the ads, which had drawn bipartisan backlash, officials said that he meant moving forward. A new taxpayer-funded ad aired Tuesday.

There's always a lie and a grift behind everything Rapist and Convicted Felon Trump does.😠💢 www.nytimes.com/2026/10/06/u...

What's Rapist and Convicted Felon Trump know that we don't know? Seriously. Even though he's lying about everything as always and he's on the move doing his dumbass rallies, he's acting nonchalantly, even carefree confident, about the midterms. What's planned? Musk's fuckery? ICE/troops at polls?

pbs.orgA gut punch in Ohio: Nearly 1,400 laid off at truck factory just days before Trump rallyThis year’s election is a test for the working-class coalition that lifted Trump into the White House and gave majorities to Republicans in the House and Senate.

Well, well... Say there, President Harp, looks like you're not doing something right after all. www.pbs.org/newshour/pol...

nytimes.comThe Holei Sea Arch, a Centuries-Old Hawaii Wonder, Crumbles Into the Pacific (Gift Article)A tropical storm was moving through the area when the 90-foot lava rock formation disintegrated, the National Park Service said.

RIP Holei Sea Arch. 😢💔🙏 cc @notbeforenoon.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2026/10/02/u...

politico.comJustice Alito confirms he is considering retirementThe conservative Supreme Court justice said in a CBS News interview that he’ll revisit the issue next year.

So, a Justice Cannon is what we'll likely have then? Ugh!🤢 Oh hell. No!😠💢 It might take forever — hopefully not literally — but moving toward expanding SCOTUS is a must. Not doing so just means decades of this fuckery.

Joyce White Vance@joycewhitevance.bsky.social

“Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito has confirmed that he is considering retirement, leaving open the possibility that he could leave after next year’s term and hand another nomination to President Donald Trump.” www.politico.com/news/2026/10...

apnews.comTrump administration lowers fuel economy standards, critics say at a significant environmental costThe Trump administration released new fuel economy standards on Monday, relaxing regulatory requirements for automakers to control pollution from gasoline-powered cars and light trucks.

Well, well... if AI hasn't already killed us all, in time air pollution just might. apnews.com/article/trum...

ms.nowTrump escalates standoff with press in fresh attacks on MS NOW, CNN“I want real news, not fake news — like you,” he told MS NOW’s Akayla Gardner on Saturday morning.

Rapist and Convicted Felon Trump in usual asshole form told MS NOW’s Akayla Gardner: “I want real news, not fake news — like you.” I realize the constraints on the media, but just once I'd love to hear a reply like: “I want a real president, not a fake one — like you.” www.ms.now/news/trump-w...

nytimes.comLive Updates: Netanyahu Addresses U.N. General Assembly in High-Stakes SpeechIn a combative speech, the prime minister defended Israeli military action across the Middle East, and attacked Mayor Zohran Mamdani of New York. Dozens of delegates walked out of the hall as he took ...

I've said it before, and again: Fuck Scumbag Netanyahu Fuck Rapist and Convicted Felon Trump Fuck Israel Fuck AIPAC Remember: pro-Palestinian ≠ pro-Hamas anti-Israel ≠ anti-Jewish pro-Palestinian ≠ antisemitism anti-genocide ≠ antisemitism anti-Israel ≠ antisemitism www.nytimes.com/live/2026/09...

youtube.comEarth, Wind & Fire - September (Official HD Video)YouTube video by EarthWindandFireVEVO

So, day late but.... #september #ewf #earthwindandfire www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gs06...

nytimes.comWill Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Run for President in 2028? Here’s What She Said. (Gift Article)In a wide-ranging interview, the New York congresswoman offered her most detailed insight yet into how she is thinking about a possible presidential run.

AOC: “My ambition is to change this country. Presidents come and go, Senate, House seats, elected officials come and go, but single-payer health care is forever, a living wage is forever, workers’ rights are forever, women’s rights, all of that.” #aoc www.nytimes.com/2026/09/22/u...

wapo.stTrump says planned arch will be ‘military complex’ for drones, snipersThe president's post about the arch planned near Arlington National Cemetery comes as veterans groups, historic preservationists and others attempt to stop the project.

20 Sept

So, like the ballroom was needed because [checks notes] it would cover an underground bunker, the arch is needed for a sniper nest, drone hanger and ammo storage?🤔🤣 I hope the Dems have begun lining up contractors because there's going be a lot of demolition needed.👷 —Gift Article— wapo.st/4hojaMW

nytimes.comPeter Max, Trippy Artist of Counterculture Era and Beyond, Dies at 88With work that breathed the spirit of the 1960s, he became fabulously wealthy from licensing his paintings and posters in all their euphoric Day-Glo glory.

16 Sept

Another icon of the arts goes away. RIP Peter Max www.nytimes.com/2026/09/16/a...

wapo.stSupreme Court blocks sweeping mail ballot restrictions for midterm electionsThe Trump administration had said the plan was necessary to protect against voter fraud. States and voting rights groups said it could inject chaos into contests.

15 Sept

This was a positive outcome — though another "for now" SCOTUS decision — that shuts down Rapist and Convicted Felon Trump's administration's blatant attempt to suppress voting in the November midterm elections. —Gift Article— wapo.st/3T9Qtee

nbcnews.comPentagon watchdog says Iran war has led to munitions shortfallIt’s the first public report on the ongoing war started Feb. 28 by the U.S. and Israel.

Everything. Every damned thing that Rapist and Convicted Felon Trump is doing is fucking the US, the people, the world, the environment. Everything and everyone is being destroyed, www.nbcnews.com/politics/nat...

There are 1000s of world-class thinkers working on Ai. My question is: Why isn't AI given the same concern for safety, capability and access as the world has seen with nuclear weapons? What do we need? Some sort of apocalyptic disaster to occur first? Isn't climate-change inaction proof enough?😠

nytimes.com‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Used Small Cages to Confine Migrants, DHS Watchdog Report Says (Gift Article)The Department of Homeland Security’s internal watchdog provided new details about conditions at the now-shuttered Florida detention center.

Read this article. Click the link inside it to download and read the DHS Office of Inspector General's report PDF. There's only one possible conclusion: Cruelty is the point!😠 It always was and will continue to be till DHS/ICE is held accountable and shut down.😠💢 www.nytimes.com/2026/09/14/u...

nytimes.comE.P.A. Will Erase Limits on Climate Pollution From Power Plants (Gift Article)Generation of electricity is the second largest source of carbon dioxide and other planet-warming gases in the United States.

"[Rapist and Convicted Felon Trump] has derided climate change as a 'hoax,' and in his second term, the E.P.A. has systematically dismantled policies aimed at slowing global warming that have been criticized as costly by oil, gas and coal companies." Bye, bye world!😠 www.nytimes.com/2026/09/13/c...

wapo.stTrump dismisses AI leaders’ calls to slow down, citing Chinese competitionDemocrats are increasingly attacking the administration’s hands-off approach to artificial-intelligence regulation as midterms approach.

13 Sept

So, there you have it! Rapist and Convicted Felon Trump wants to let AI grow and be able to kill us all while he, family and cronies get rich. What a fucking asshole!😠💢 China? Well, there's gotta be a bogeyman, but nope, it can't be AI. Right. —Gift Article— wapo.st/4xqxeeH

12 Sept

So, well... it's Caturday! Love these cartoons. And the three cats here do too!😻♥️

Scott Metzger@metzgercartoons.bsky.social

Caturday collection

11 Sept

Wow! What happened to me here? After all, a guess is a just guess is a just guess is.... Wordle 1,911 2/6 ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩

wapo.stColumn | The architect of 9/11 built the world we inhabit todayThe changes to our urban design, architecture and everyday life are so profound we can hardly see them.

11 Sept

The changes to our urban design, architecture and everyday life are so profound we can hardly see them. —Gift Article— wapo.st/3Vo0llk

nytimes.com10-Minute Challenge: Angel Oak (Gift Article)We’d like you to look at this tree for 10 minutes, uninterrupted.

10 Sept

Please try this and learn something about yourself. 💚🙏 www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

wapo.stFetterman appears by video at GOP convention and says he will work with TrumpThe U.S. senator from Pennsylvania described himself during his remarks as a “common-sense Democrat” who rejected socialism.

10 Sept

“A year ago I labeled John Fetterman ‘Trump’s favorite Democrat,’” Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Pennsylvania) wrote Wednesday on X. “Tonight, he yet again proves why.” Hmm... If Fetterman were GOP acting like this with the Dems, how long do you think they'd let this go on? —Gift Article— wapo.st/4hkmfhS

nytimes.comSmithsonian’s Secretary to Resign as Trump Tries to Rule the Institution (Gift Article)In the face of escalating White House attacks about how museums present American history, Lonnie G. Bunch III has announced his decision to depart.

8 Sept

Everything is just so fucking wrong! From afar, it seems so easy to say — plead even — "Why resign? Please don't. Stay and hold your ground." But the attack on him and other good people has been relentless. America, its history, its culture, its truth are all doomed. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/08/a...

wapo.stU.K. bars import of goods from West Bank settlements in growing rift with IsraelNumerous other European countries immediately pledged support for the effort, which prompted warnings from the United States.

8 Sept

Good for the UK and Europe! Fuck Israel, Netanyahu and Rapist and Convicted Felon Trump.😠 "U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee warned that the policy shift could prompt retaliation by Washington and by states."😠 "Retaliation"? Fuck Huckabee too.😠 Fuck them all.💢 —Gift Article— wapo.st/46Q1Nzm

7 Sept

Ugh! Phew is right! Wordle 1,906 6/6 ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟩⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟩🟩⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 #wordle

wapo.stTrump appeals to Supreme Court as time runs out on push to restrict mail votingWith November midterms approaching, two swing states are sending ballots, and other states plan to send theirs soon.

6 Sept

As I've posted before, don't be surprised: Rapist and Convicted Felon Trump won't take NO for an answer. Sound familiar? Right. Just what to expect from this pussy-grabbing asshole. Don't be surprised if SCOTUS caves. But, "for now" decisions are running out of time. —Gift Article— wapo.st/4xImkC3

nytimes.comJudge Once Again Blocks Trump Administration’s Plans to Restrict Mail-In Ballots (Gift Article)The ruling arrived before the Supreme Court could decide whether to intervene but appeared certain to set off yet another round of appeals.

5 Sept

Really tired of SCOTUS's "for now" decisions. This is a federal judge, so it isn't one. Yet. But, don't doubt for a second that Rapist and Convicted Felon Trump and his sycophantic minions will try appeals and other fuckery to keep this bullshit alive.😠💢 www.nytimes.com/2026/09/04/u...

wapo.stThe places where the government has put Trump’s name and facePresident Donald Trump’s administration has put his name on more than a dozen buildings, documents, government items and programs during his second term.

At the risk of causing anyone to barf by accessing a link that bombards them with likenesses of Rapist and Convicted Felon Trump one after another.... Well, at least you can see where time, efforts and money are being wasted. —Gift Article— wapo.st/4zZ4D2E

apnews.comBillionaire Leon Black skips Epstein deposition and sues House panel over subpoenasBillionaire investor Leon Black is refusing to appear for a sworn deposition before Congress relating to its investigation into disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.

“This is unacceptable. We’re very disappointed,” said House Oversight Chair James Comer. “Of all the powerful billionaires and political people we’ve brought in for interview and depositions, this is the first time anyone’s filed suit.” FFS! Hold him in contempt already! apnews.com/article/jeff...

wapo.stTrump officials say work will start on triumphal arch within two weeksThe planned 250-foot-tall structure near Arlington National Cemetery is one of the president’s top construction priorities.

Rapist and Convicted Felon Trump is completely out of control. And doing anything he wants. Fuck you, Congress.😠 You, too, SCOTUS.💢 —Gift Article— wapo.st/4ic3gqW

nytimes.comGloria Steinem, Personification of the Feminist Movement, Dies at 92 (Gift Article)She challenged sexist assumptions, helping women develop a sense of self-worth and gain a measure of equality at work, at home and in society at large.

Your life and movement served to liberate us men too. Thank you and RIP Gloria Steinem. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/03/u...

nytimes.comFormer President Joe Biden Will Attend Sept. 11 Ceremony in New York (Gift Article)Mr. Biden will join three other living presidents at the event. President Trump has decided to skip the ceremony and is expected to appear at the Pentagon on the 25th anniversary of the attacks.

3 Sept

Good. So the world won't have to listen to Rapist and Convicted Felon Trump spouting his asinine, harebrained, self-centered bullshit at such a hallowed place. At the Pentagon, well, good luck to viewers and listeners there. www.nytimes.com/2026/09/01/u...

nytimes.comInfluencers Have a Lot to Say About Politics. Many Are Quietly Paid for It. (Gift Article)Their videos have proliferated on social media, but the payments are frequently hidden from viewers.

2 Sept

Look around. You might even see a few here on Bluesky. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/29/u...

1 Sept

So, here's how this Lake Ontario Google Maps fuckery appears accessed here in Japan. • Google Maps: Lake Ontario • Google Maps: Lake Ontario, but Lake Ontario (Lake America) in detail panel • DuckDuckGo using Apple Maps: Lake Ontario • Google Maps: Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America) caption and panel

wapo.stGov. Abbott blocks funding in Texas for Flock cameras as bipartisan fury brewsThe automated license plate readers aren’t popular with the public. Politicians are catching on.

30 Aug

Hmm... good news? Well, kinda. It's a reaction. So never forget that backlash and resistance can work. Get the Flock outta here! 😠 💢 —Gift Article— wapo.st/46tFdMR

nytimes.comICE Arrests Soar as People With No Criminal Record Are Increasingly Targeted (Gift Article)As immigration arrests hit record highs, ICE appears closer than ever to meeting its goal of 2,000 daily arrests.

27 Aug

Immigration arrests are near all-time highs in almost every state and the charts in this article make the cruel realities stunningly clear. Fuck ICE! 😠💢 www.nytimes.com/interactive/...