NYT on Feb. 13, 2026: The visit also demonstrated the relative foreign policy inexperience of Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, who has made a few overseas trips since taking office but does not sit on any House committees devoted primarily to world affairs. She struggled at times to formulate succinct answers at a nighttime panel session, during which she was asked probing and specific questions about how to respond to international crises. Questioned about whether the United States should send troops to defend Taiwan if China invaded the island, she stalled for roughly 20 seconds before offering a substantive response. “I think that, uh, this is such a, a — you know, I think that — this is a, um — this is of course, a, uh, a very longstanding, um, policy of the United States,” Ms. Ocasio-Cortez said, before saying that the country should try to avoid reaching that point with China in the first place.

NYT on March 16, 2026: On Monday, Mr. Trump claimed that “numerous countries have told me they’re on the way,” noting that President Emmanuel Macron of France would most likely help in the Strait of Hormuz and was an eight out of 10. “Not perfect, but it’s France,” he said. Others are not demonstrating sufficient enthusiasm for his demands, he said.

Last month the NYT said AOC "struggled" to give an answer on Taiwan and quoted her with "uhs" and "ums" to make her look stupid

Yesterday talking about Hormuz Trump claimed he's heard from "numerous countries" and said "uh" four times. The NYT deleted the "uhs" and paraphrased him to look smarter:

In countries where students spent a lot of time using devices for leisure during the school day, test scores plummeted between 2012 and 2022. In countries where they spent less time, test scores merely slid. Thus there was a significantly larger decline in scores in the countries where students spent more time using devices for fun during school hours (see Figure 1). 505 500 495 performance mean 490 485 480 475 470 465 460 455 d • Science, less device use • Math, less device use Reading, less device use Science, more device use Reading, more device use Math, more device use 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Figure 1: Scores on standardized tests of math, reading, and science for 15- and 16-year-olds in 36 countries, by low or high use of electronic devices for leisure during the school day. Note: Controlled for GDP per capita. Source: Twenge (2025) using data from PISA.

The global decline in test scores since ~2012 is highly correlated with smartphone penetration

www.generationtechblog.com/p/phones-at-...

Prosecutors Began Investigating Renee Good’s Killing. Washington Told Them to Stop.

NYT confirming MS NOW reporting:

Prosecutors began investigating Renee Good's killing, then Washington told them to stop.

Federal prosecutors had a warrant to collect evidence from Good's vehicle, but Trump leaders said to drop it. About a dozen prosecutors have since departed.

I think it's best for everyone to understand that the unified class project of billionaires right now is to do to white collar workers what globalization and neoliberalism did to blue collar workers.

Pay attention to this. The purpose of these investigations is not just to manufacture evidence to support Trump’s 2020 “voter fraud” accusations, but also to set the stage for another round of efforts to suppress votes and delegitimize election results in 2026 (which the GOP is likely to lose).

🧵 1/4 Here's the first frame-by-frame analysis of the shooting in MN today x.com/adamscochran.... It shows that the victim was filming with his camera before being tackled and roughed up by police.

Witnesses are being taken to Whipple.

From a lawyer friend: “They’re trying to keep local PD and BCA from getting statements and confiscating any phones with video.”

Carney: "American hegemony in particular helped provide public goods, a stable financial system... this bargain no longer works. Let me be direct. We are in the midst of a rupture, not a transition... recently, great powers have begun using economic integration as a weapon. Tariffs as leverage ... "

Behind Paramount’s Relentless Campaign to Woo Warner Discovery and President Trump David Ellison has launched a hostile takeover bid for Warner Discovery, taking his case directly to shareholders after Netflix clinched a deal.

New WSJ reporting: "During a December visit to Washington, David Ellison offered assurances to Trump administration officials that if he bought Warner, he'd make sweeping changes to CNN, a common target of President Trump's ire, people familiar with the matter said..."

trump fires* lisa cook

*claims to have fired

any news outlet saying otherwise is manufacturing consent 😇

🥹

Sen. Eric Adams: Combating Gun Violence YouTube video by New York Daily News

youtu.be/sk2Wc4Y5CxE?... nothing beats this one

strike one trillion for the paper of record

ICE doesn't have legal authority to impose new rules on congressional visits, so it can't be that they did so.

this framing doesn't even try to be *agnostic* about the legal issues here. it just treats it as if ICE can unilaterally decide to do this. can't say I'm surprised, though.

A red circle around the AI regulation ban language reading: IN GENERAL. Except as provided in para graph (2), no eligible entity or political subdivision thereof may enforce, during the 10-year period beginning on the date of enactment of this subsection, any law or regulation of that eligible entity or a political subdivision thereof limiting, restricting, or otherwise regulating artificial intelligence models, artificial intelligence systems, or automated decision systems entered into interstate commerce.

Don’t be confused: The Senate Republican AI language includes the EXACT SAME AI moratorium as the House bill. Almost word-for-word. This is a complete, 10-year ban on state AI regulation. Period.

60% of American households can’t afford a minimal quality of life.

Meanwhile, the 19 richest households saw their wealth increase by $1 trillion in 2024 — the biggest one-year increase ever.

Our problem isn't a lack of resources.

Our problem is ever-expanding inequality.

If I see another article about birth rates that refuses to grapple with the way having children systematically disadvantages women I swear to god. There is no mystery. Stop pretending there is. We’ve got to do away with credulity for nonsense.

Spectacular view of 100,000 people attending the #HandsOff march in NYC

biggest crowds I've ever seen in NYC too

New York City Voters Support Municipal Grocery Stores - Climate and Community Institute Read our Substack piece on why municipal grocery stores can bring down costs and repair food supply chains.  The rising cost of groceries has driven nearly 50 …

NEW: Two-thirds of NYC voters support creating municipal grocery stores to bring down prices.

"The concept is imminently feasible. In fact, publicly owned grocery stores are quite common and already exist at scale—in the US military."

they've also never figured out how to harmonize their argumentative approach with their esotericism. like we're not only supposed to believe Plato meant the opposite of what he wrote, but also, Plato's intellectual authority is supposed to survive this transmutation

hadn't seen the Dems new logo. a copyright symbol with a D instead of a C... I wonder how many millions they spent on *that*

the whole congratulating Dems for cursing thing is so embarrassing. one of the dumbest ways yet invented to engage politically

to be clear, I do think they're stupid. as the news cycle is evolving, it seems that's probably what explains it. I was trying to warn against jumping to that conclusion too early -- eg, Trump has quite the vendetta against The Atlantic; that maybe they were trying to implicate Goldberg in something

good point. I guess my underlying sentiment is that we shouldn't be *too* quick to assume it's incompetence rather than something more nefarious. but your explanation makes sense

hmm yeah maybe so. In any other administration it would be very odd for a trade rep to be included in that kind of convo, but who knows with this one. I'll be curious to see how they respond to mounting anger over it

which invites the question: why?

I have to say, this whole thing seemed very sus to me, beyond incompetent. Like... even if they just accidentally added a number to a signal group, the chances of it being the literal editor in chief of the Atlantic are vanishingly small. It's being intentional seems like a much better explanation.

I am a commissioner at the Federal Trade Commission. Earlier today, the president attempted to illegally fire me. This is corruption, plain and simple. I will see the president in court. My full statement:

Mahmoud Khalil writing from a Louisiana detention center: "I have always believed that my duty is not only to liberate myself from the oppressor, but also to liberate my oppressors from their hatred and fear."