How is it mathematically possible to work twice as many days as previous directors by taking half as many days off?

The Third Trajectory and Hopes for Rebuilding - emptywheel The global catastrophe Trump created in Iran may provide an opportunity to disrupt his authoritarian trajectory.

This is an important post by @emptywheel.bsky.social. Please share widely.

emptywheel.net/2026/04/21/t...

Nearly half of US children are breathing dangerous levels of air pollution, report warns American Lung Association report comes amid Trump EPA’s expansive rollback of environmental protections

Trump and his lackey Lee Zeldin probably read this headline and think to themselves "the job is only half done."

As the Trump Admin eases or eliminates controls on mercury, radioactive isotopes, and countless other known poisons, Americans (particularly children) will become sicker and sicker.

The MAGA grift goes international!!

Your government refusing to prosecute sexual predators, but protect them instead, only makes sense when you realize your government is being run by sexual predators.

The funniest part about the Texas redistricting was that it was so precarious that they shot themselves in the dick with that one, too.

“Ticking Time Bomb”: A Pregnant Mother Kept Getting Sicker. She Died After She Couldn’t Get an Abortion in Texas. Walker is one of several women ProPublica found with underlying health conditions who died when they couldn’t access abortions.

ProPublica has found multiple cases of women with underlying health conditions who died when they couldn’t access abortions.

Tierra Walker, a 37-year-old mother, was told by doctors there was no emergency before preeclampsia killed her.

(Published Nov. 2025)

Trump’s Commerce Secretary Loves Tariffs. His Former Investment Bank Is Taking Bets Against Them A subsidiary of Cantor Fitzgerald, which is run by the sons of US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick, is letting clients essentially bet that President Donald Trump’s tariffs will be struck down in cou...

This is fucked up.

Commerce Secretary Nutlick's two sons made $100B from bets clients made that SCOTUS would rule tariffs were illegal.

www.wired.com/story/cantor...

This Isn't Trading. It's Theft from Your Retirement. Someone keeps making perfectly-timed bets right before the President speaks. The victims are your pension, your 401(k), and the country I took an oath to defend.

Fifteen minutes before the President announced he was pausing strikes on Iran, somebody moved $500 million in oil futures. Somebody knew. Somebody told them. Or somebody is them.
New piece ↓
open.substack.com/pub/adamkinz...

Americans are being congratulated for showing up to vote to keep their own elections fair—for doing the barest minimum.

The total death toll of the US and Israel’s war with Iran has exceeded 5500 people, the Associated Press reports.
The conflict has killed at least 3375 people in Iran and more than 2290 in Lebanon.

Chief Justice’s Wife Made $10M+ as Legal Recruiter: Report At least one of the firms reportedly had a case before Chief Justice Roberts.

John Roberts’ Wife Made Millions From Bribes

Roberts accepted $10 Million in bribes disguised as recruiting fees from Law firms with cases pending before the Supreme Court.

www.thedailybeast.com/chief-justic...

Trump administration begins refunding more than $166bn in tariffs Claims system launches months after supreme court ruled Trump had no legal authority to impose tariffs

So you and I and everyone else are in effect now refunding American corporations for import tariffs, although we paid for most of them in the form of higher prices — which they won’t now lower because they have monopoly power to keep prices high.

The Art of the Deal.

Map of US with states highlighted that allow voting in primary elections at 17 if they will be 18 by Nov General election: WA, UT, NM, NE, IA, IL, IN, MS, OH, KY, WV, VA, NC, SC, VT, ME, MA, RI, CT, NJ, DE, DC

Parents in VA, if your 17 year old child will be 18 by the Nov 3rd general election, they can vote YES in the April 21st redestricting referendum. It's not too late - Virginia has same-day voter registration.

For more info: Iwillvote.org/va

#SheShed
#VoteYesVirginia

What this tells me Is that they are negotiating a deal that is either close to, or slightly worse than Obama’s JCPOA Trump walked away from in his first term. He’s making up the difference with hubris & marketing.

Judge says White House can't 'strong-arm' Apple into blocking ICE trackers A judge has ruled that the Trump administration should not have coerced Apple and Google into taking down apps which...

A preliminary injunction has been awarded, with the creators of ICE Sightings and Eyes Up told that they are likely to succeed in their argument that the government suppressed protected speech under the First Amendment

9to5mac.com/2026/04/20/j...

“Jesus wasn’t a socialist be cause he could actually feed people”

Yeah, why can’t our gov use magic to feed people instead of taxing the rich to feed people, hmm?

Palantir's summary of CEO Alexander Karp's manifesto is generating buzz. Read the 22 bullet points. Among the 22 points summarizing Palantir CEO Alex Karp's manifesto is the belief that the US should consider reinstating the military draft.

This company is out of control and its CEO appears in nearly every public appearance to be disturbed in some way.

There are companies our government should have nothing to do with anymore—e.g., those associated with Elon Musk—and Palantir is on that list.

A renewed threat to JPL as the Trump administration tries again to cut NASA The cuts, proposed in the Trump administration's 2027 budget request to Congress, would pose further challenges to the venerable La Cañada Flintridge facility and its space missions.

the admin is asking Congress to cut NASA funding by 23% — including a 46% cut to its science programs

The proposal would cancel 53 science missions and reduce funding for others
www.latimes.com/politics/sto...

Trump Administration to Begin Refunding $166 Billion in Tariffs

only entities that officially paid the tariffs are eligible to recover that money…the fuller universe of people affected by Trump’s policies — including millions of Americans who paid higher prices for products they bought — are not able to apply for direct relief

www.nytimes.com/2026/04/20/b...

Aerial view of large scale devastation inflicted on the southern Lebanese town of Bint Jbeil, with an Israeli tank parked in the center of the photo.

This is what Israel has done to Bint Jbeil, my hometown in southern Lebanon

If biocide usage and non-native plants mean that your garden is bereft of colourful Lepidoptera then capitalism has your back @georgemonbiot.bsky.social - seen at a garden centre today
#ExtremeCivilisation

"The masters of war pretend not to know that it takes only a moment to destroy, yet a lifetime is often not enough to rebuild. They turn a blind eye to the fact that billions of dollars are spent on killing and devastation, yet the resources needed for healing, education and restoration are nowhere to be found." -Pope Leo XIV

Resignations and firings have depleted the FBI and Justice Department. They're scrambling to rebuild The FBI and Justice Department are scrambling to rebuild a depleted workforce after a wave of departures over the last year.

When criminals are in charge, weakening the law enforcement is the goal.

www.latimes.com/world-nation...

Yum?

And they said the architect was crazy building a visitor centre in the middle of nowhere. Yeah, crazy like a fox.

bsky.app/profile/gpth...

Balkonkraftwerk: Germany's Free Solar Program YouTube video by Happy Eco News

Stop waiting for the gov to ‘do something’

Solutions are here now

youtube.com/watch?v=gehK...