Mexico's Sheinbaum denies "diplomatic crisis' with Spain after conquest row
Popes feuding with antipopes... Conquistadors taking over Mexico... who had "party like it's 1499" on their 2026 bingo card?
Rural Electrification Administration ad: An older woman sewing by a lamp. Caption: Now I'm Satisfied
A late 1800s ad for a woman in a dress seated at a typewriter
Late 1800s ad for Porter's National Telegraph College
My dude we've been doing this exact sales pitch for 150 years
A flatscreen display on a "smart" water fountain, demanding to be reconnected to the internet.
In 1999, I was playing a decker in Shadowrun, and tried to distract a guard by hacking a water fountain to overflow, and my GM said "why would a water fountain be on the network? That's fucking stupid. No you can't try."
Well it's 2026 and I just want you to know, Phil, that I FUCKING CALLED IT!
10 THINGS I STRAIT ABOUT YOU (1999)
You just announced plans to conduct another round of buyouts and early retirement offers, after your department has already lost around 20 percent of its workforce. At what point does cutting thousands of your employees year over year become a liability that negatively impacts the assets and equity on your “balance sheet,” to use your terminology?
Did you order the National Park Foundation to appoint President Trump’s fundraisers, Chris LaCivita and Meredith O’Rourke to the foundation board? Do they have any expertise in conservation or national park management? Is it appropriate for the National Park Foundation to keep the names of donors secret, even though Chris Krach, the head of Freedom250, was in Davos soliciting foreign donations?
Did you or anyone in your office instruct the Interior Ethics office to grant a waiver to Karen Budd-Falen to work on grazing issues, even as she runs a massive public lands grazing operation? Why allow her to enrich herself using public resources, which is what the waiver explicitly allows? Why does that waiver not even mention the Thacker Pass mine, her family’s $3 million water rights sale that she never disclosed, or her ranch’s ongoing business relationship with Lithium Americas? Given all of that, do you think the Ethics office is sufficiently staffed and funded, when major ethical conflicts like that don’t even make it into an ethics agreement?
So many questions.
We've got questions. It's safe to say Doug Burgum does not have answers. Tune in Monday to find out.
westwise.substack.com/p/trumps-int...
Definitely Eric Adams
Key Points Allbirds announced that it is pivoting from sustainable shoes to artificial intelligence. The company, valued at around $4 billion at its peak, sold its intellectual property and other assets two weeks ago for $39 million. The shoe company had a market cap of about $21 million Tuesday, which climbed to $148 million on Wednesday.
Bubble? What bubble?
"The fish rots from the head, and these emails make it crystal clear: Doug Burgum is only here to degrade, exploit, and eventually sell off America’s public lands. Our parks and park rangers deserve so much better.”
Big scoop from @chrisdangelo.bsky.social:
open.substack.com/pub/chrisdan...
Vance Says the Pope Should Be More Careful When Talking About Theology
Um
Headquarters @HQNewsNow Top Trump Econ Advisor: While it’s very frustrating at the pump to see what the price of gas looks like, the benefit for oil producers is significant
Never forget who Doug Burgum and the entire Trump administration actually work for
Paddington 4 Escape From New York Reboot in the Works at StudioCanal
Make this one film you cowards
This administration has made its intent clear: Cut budgets, drive out the workforce, erase history, greenlight extinction. Energy extraction is paramount, while conservation, research, and preservation are all values that can be discarded. These are not disconnected policy decisions. They are part of the coherent vision of a cabinet secretary who sees public lands as surplus inventory and history as a branding problem.
None of these things are happening in a vacuum. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has a plan.
Iran Allows Ship Loaded With Epstein Files Through Strait of Hormuz Andy Borowitz
Spectacular. No notes.
www.borowitzreport.com/p/iran-allow...
Trump announces Navy blockade in Strait of Hormuz after Iran talks fizzle BY SOPHIA VENTO- 04/12/26 9:18 AM ET
"Open the Strait or we'll close the Strait" is quite the negotiating strategy
The same "I am a woman" post copy/pasted on a bunch of skeets
The same "I am a woman" post copy/pasted on a bunch of skeets
Sad to say this engagement bait account is working
But she just said he didn't, so that definitely did not happen
First Lady Melania Trump has denied any connection to Jeffrey Epstein, telling reporters at the White House that any claims linking the two "'need to end today". In a surprise announcement on Thursday, the First Lady called for Congressional hearings for survivors of his Epstein's sex trafficking. She also denied online rumours that Epstein introduced her to Donald Trump, calling them "mean-spirited attempts to defame my reputation". It is unclear what prompted the announcement.
My "I have nothing to do with Jeffrey Epstein" shirt is answering all of the questions you haven't asked me about my connections to Jeffrey Epstein
Great question. In CA specifically, you could move the needle a bit with nuts. From a water footprint per calorie standpoint, nuts are far more defensible than beef. On a protein basis, almonds are tougher to defend. Lentils and chicken win.
(And a little bit almonds. But really it's the cows.)
The longer you work in policy-adjacent spaces, the more outraged you get when anyone suggests that individual (or even industrial) conservation measures can move the needle on water use, especially in the West.
It's cows.
It's all cows.
(And the alfalfa that feeds them).
They're gonna have to put him on my headstone
Thank you!!
Thank you!!
Leadership shuffle at Western conservation group By JENNIFER YACHNIN 04/08/2026 04:05 PM EDT Center for Western Priorities leader Jennifer Rokala will step down after more than a decade at the helm.
Guess it's just as well that the press release didn't note that until now, my biggest professional accomplishment was being part of the team that killed Clippy in 1999-2000
Center for Western Priorities announces leadership change Jennifer Rokala stepping down after 11 years; Aaron Weiss to become executive director DENVER—After 11 impactful years leading the team at the Center for Western Priorities, Executive Director Jennifer Rokala is starting a new chapter. Starting on May 1, 2026, she is handing the reins to CWP’s deputy director, Aaron Weiss. “From the Monuments to America tour, to our Winning the West campaign, to the day-to-day work of driving a positive conservation narrative, I have witnessed the importance of our nation’s public lands to communities across the Western United States,” said Rokala. “Regardless of political party, we know that public lands are central to our identity in the West, and not something we can take for granted. It has been an honor steering this talented team of professionals to develop new and creative ways to communicate the value of our shared public lands for current and future generations.” Weiss emphasized the importance of CWP’s mission to serve as a “war room” for Western public lands. “Standing up for public lands is more urgent than ever. From attacks on federal workers to bald-faced attempts to sell off and privatize our shared landscapes and resources, we are holding the line against the Trump administration’s attempts to take away what belongs to all Americans,” said Weiss. “The good news is we know that Western voters are with us now more than ever. It’s a privilege to lead the CWP team as we face some of the toughest challenges we have ever seen to protect our nation’s public lands.”
Some professional news, as they say
Trump administration personnel agency is asking for federal workers' medical records By Amanda Seitz, Maia Rosenfeld April 8, 2026 / 5:00 AM EDT/CBS News Add CBS News on Google The Trump administration is quietly seeking unprecedented access to medical records for millions of federal workers and retirees, and their families.
From the same people who said telling them to wear a mask violated their HIPAA rights
This is a 🚨🚨🚨-level alert for American democracy. AP reporting is the bedrock of nearly all local journalism.
A waffle made out of Matzo, eggs, and half and half.
In that spirit: Will it Waffle? Matzo Brei edition.
It waffles!