Incredible shots of the exchange between Rep. AOC and RFK, Jr. at today’s congressional hearing.

(image credit: WSJ reporter @lizessleywhyte.bsky.social)

Remember, Democrats have repeatedly advanced measures to ban partisan gerrymandering and Republicans have voted against them time after time.

This is the game Republicans wanted to play. OK, then.

Testing finds toxic metals where Tesla discharges wastewater The drainage district that commissioned the testing has sent a cease-and-desist letter to the company, which says it is in compliance with all requirements for its state wastewater discharge permit.

I’m shocked. www.texastribune.org/2026/04/21/t...

Florida’s middle class is fleeing the state amid rising costs Housing prices and inflation are on the rise in Florida

Florida’s middle class is fleeing the state as its become too expensive to raise a family

www.independent.co.uk/us/money/flo...

Embattled Labor Sec Lori Chavez-DeRemer has resigned - story TK for MS NOW

A clip from The New York Times reads: "But only the entities that officially paid the tariffs are eligible to recover that money. That means that the fuller universe of people affected by Mr. Trump’s policies — including millions of Americans who paid higher prices for the products they bought — are not able to apply for direct relief. The extent to which consumers realize any gain hinges on whether businesses share the proceeds, something that few have publicly committed to do. Some have started to band together in class-action lawsuits in the hopes of receiving a payout."

The average American family paid $1,700 in tariffs last year, according to the bipartisan Congressional Joint Economic Committee. Few will ever see any of that money back. The refunds will go to companies, if doled out at all. What a joke.

The Wild Wild Western Water Wars - The American Prospect As a changing climate bakes and dries up the Colorado River, the seven basin states can’t agree on how to share the declining water resources.

in the American West, we've got totally nonsensical 174-year-old legal structures about water rights colliding with climate change-fueled drought, with the federal government AWOL prospect.org/2026/04/17/w...

Here’s one for the knitters ❤️

Absolutely incredible.

NASA Astronaut Reid Wiseman, who commanded Artemis II, took this footage from the far side of the Moon with his iPhone.

Watch with sound on.

Tax Day 2026: The Average Taxpayer Paid $4,049 for War and Weapons - Institute for Policy Studies Tax Day 2026: The Average Taxpayer Paid $4,049 for War and Weapons

"The average taxpayer in 2025 paid: $4,049 for weapons and war, vs. $2,492 for Medicaid, which provided health insurance to 68.5 million Americans in 2025 — about one in five Americans."

NYC study shows men are 2.6x more likely than women to bike to work. When protected bike lane coverage is high, women’s cycling rates rise significantly faster than men’s.

When protected lanes are limited or fragmented, women’s participation drops sharply.

Good bike investments give women choices.

The Frogs Sing Loudly in Spring
Christi Belcourt ~ Métis
2021

Let's call it Schrödinger's Strait. It's both open and closed at the same time.

GARY OLDMAN as Cary Grant from ‘North By Northwest’ for a photo project whereby Actors posed for a role they always dreamt of playing.

(It had to be self-deprecating, ironic, absurd, a bit twisted and kind of like a funny/bad dream take on the movie.)

Love it.

TIL: Deaf people helped make space travel possible.

a map from 1918 showing the interurban network sprawling across Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio

One side obsession from my research into the 1920s is the extensive network of ELECTRIC trains that used to connect cities and towns across the central Midwest called the Interurban. We had this more than a hundred years ago. The things we had and the things we lost.

Critical Atlantic current significantly more likely to collapse than thought Scientists say finding is ‘very concerning’ as collapse would be catastrophic for Europe, Africa and the Americas

The collapse of the gulf stream will be catastrophic for the entire planet. The crisis in the earth's circulation system continues to be ignored while politicians promote massive oil/gas expansion.
We are killing our children's future.

www.theguardian.com/environment/...

yet another reason to ditch the “smart” speakers and voice “assistants”

she’s actually got a pretty grim story. this poor woman had to take up being a DoorDash driver in order to make ends meet after her husband ran up medical bills due to treatment for cancer. the lesson we’re supposed to take away from this bogus White House photo-op is that because Big Benevolent Dear Leader got rid of taxes on tips, Sharon Simmons was able to save eleven grand on her tax bill — and yay, Donny, you’re the hero of the working class! wrong answer, fuckface. the real lesson here is that we live in a shithole country where any of us could get thrown into bankruptcy in a hot second because of a medical emergency — and if it happens to you, you’re expected to try to make ends meet by working your ass off in a shitty piecemeal gig-economy job.

a granny forced to work a crappy job to pay for medical bills visited Donny yesterday, and everyone missed the bigger picture: NO ONE SHOULD BE BANKRUPTED BY MEDICAL DEBT, but Donny won't do shit to fix the problem. thank you for your attention to my angry post about it. link is here: bit.ly/4cqR1SE

stop. read this.

Black women have the highest maternal mortality rate among all racial groups in the U.S.

During Black Maternal Health Week, let us refocus on how we can provide resources and rights that help Black mothers thrive before, during, and after pregnancy. We must pass the #Momnibus

“.. Share of consumers saying their financial situation is worse compared to a year ago due to higher prices jumped to 54% in April vs. 47% in March … now highest on record.”

(via Schwab) #UMich

I ordered a copy for our college sophomore. She will love this. I've put a hold on it at our library for myself. I can't wait to read it!

FreeTaxUSA® - Free Online Tax Filing for Federal Returns 100% free federal tax filing. E-File your tax return directly to the IRS. Prepare federal and state income taxes online. 2025 tax preparation software.

I just finished using this, which I became aware of due to @clairewillett.bsky.social.

I cannot believe I am saying this about a web app in the year 2026, but: it is well designed and easy to use

Budget cuts are effectively book bans in the places there are no book bans, and they are hurting not just libraries and readers, but publishers and authors too.

Our Forests Are Being Taken. SAVEUSFS.ORG 193 million acres of America's public lands face unprecedented attacks. It's time to pay attention.

We need to stop the #USFS getting dismantled. There's #research that will never be finished. THOUSANDS of people who know #LandManagement & how to push back against politicians stealing public resources are about to be purged. The largest #forestry org on Earth will be GONE.

Pls. Do what you can.

Chicago Turns All Public School IDs Into Library Cards To Boost Student Access Chicago Public Library and CPS announced the expansion of The 81 Club, building on a pilot launched in 2022 to give students access to the library system's vast collection and databases.

This is such a good idea. We should do this in NYC.

"All Chicago Public Schools students now have access to nearly everything the city’s libraries have to offer — including physical items like books as well as extensive digital resources."

blockclubchicago.org/2026/04/08/c...

I am so happy to learn this. I have pulled them in the past but will now let them thrive.

Iran Join Rick as he explores the most surprising and fascinating land he's ever visited: Iran. In a one-hour, ground-breaking travel special on public television, you'll discover the splendid monuments of...

My one-hour special “Rick Steves Iran: Yesterday and Today,” which helps humanize 90 million Iranian people, is streaming free and ad-free at www.ricksteves.com/watch-iran.

Wide Amsterdam street jammed with colourful cars in the 1970s.

Remember this picture, & others like it, every time you hear someone in your city say "we're not Amsterdam."

This was #Amsterdam in the 1970s.

Many of the cities we admire made tough choices regarding cars in the past, and are still making better choices today.

Better choices instead of excuses.