Almost everything we argue about is a substitute for the thing we should be arguing about: the immense wealth & power of an oligarchic class, which captures governments, ruins lives and wrecks the living planet.
This class redirects our rage at scapegoats. To resist its lies is to resist its power.

Words of wisdom…..

Trump 'blocked from accessing nuclear codes' by head of US military US President Donald Trump is alleged to have received push-back from a senior military person in a meeting at the White House during an attempt to access his country's nuclear codes

Allegedly tRump tried to grab the nuclear codes in a White House meltdown—only for the Joint Chiefs chairman to stand up and say “No.” Apparently, even the military knows this unhinged man is too dangerous for the football. How much longer can America risk it?
mcsp.short.gy/A86o

ICYMI — new HUNGARY 🇭🇺 PM Magyar says Netanyahu will be arrested if he goes to Hungary

NatCon is the Thiel-backed conference that has helped propel both Christian Nationalism & JD Vance’s political ascension. Its Statement of Principles—signed by (among others) Peter Thiel—was co-authored by John O’Sullivan, founder of the Danube Institute in Hungary. 1/

Your mom….😔. That’s rough.

Writing a song about losing these folks in my day to day life. It’s a conundrum…

Help Me Help Others @irenejuliawise.bsky.social @lizdarkblue.bsky.social @uncaged-gypsy1.bsky.social @markmacleod33711.bsky.social @biologistdan.bsky.social @celebratememory.bsky.social @jangreene.bsky.social @tootirednow.bsky.social @ktblondie.bsky.social @clgc.bsky.social

On the candidates and climate and the CA fossil fuel sunset, - Steyer : “Big Oil is trying to extort our state.” “Fossil fuels are expensive. Renewable energy is cheap. I’ll lower costs for Californians by fully embracing climate technology and making polluters pay.” He supports the 2045 carbon neutrality/climate plus goal and fossil fiel “ban,” called the CAP, and believes that EVs will ultimately be “cheaper” than internal combustion vehicles, with policy incentives he plans to create. He plans to heavily tax oil and gas companies, and lower costs by promoting PV, battery storage, and EV alternatives. He opposes offshore drilling. He strongly affirms the state’s 2045 CAP. Steyer has an extensive plan for wildfire risk mitigation, covering grid safety, planned retreat, development controls, incentivizing off grid, distributed PV generation in lieu of grid dependence in outlying areas, active prevention, and bans on political donations by utilities. Steyer plans to sue insurers who discontinue fire insurance coverage.

Becerra : “We're never going backwards when it comes to what we know we need to do.” He is credited as the legal architect of the 2045 CAP and its regulatory mechanics and strongly continues to support it. He wants to address measures to ensure that the CAP goals can be achieved affordably, in a way that supports California families. He wants to make sure the CAP is “fair” to the poor and middle class and to indigenous and bipoc communities, and he has a plan for increase oversight and accountability for public utilities to ensure safety and emission reductions and fair costs. He has a plan to address grid resilience in the CAP’s clean energy transition, and a means to reward cost savings from it to needy Californians. He opposes offshore drilling. On EVs, he wants to use direct state regulation of automakers to mitigate any change in US policy away from EV and emissions mandates. In the short run, he wants the state to directly regulate gas prices and stable, equitable distribution, over Iran war concerns. Becerra plans to address wildfire risk with planned retreat and development controls, plus grid safety measures. He has a detailed plan to ensure fire insurance availability and accountability for insurers, and he’s criticized the FAIR plans as being welfare to insurers.

Porter : “More of the same is going to mean that we fall farther and farther behind.” “We just have to be realistic.” She supports reassessing the 2045 CAP, saying that California is NOT ready to move away from fossil fuels as quickly as it plans to and must prioritize refinery capacity in order to protect jobs and control gas prices. She, like Steyer and Becerra, want to “make polluters pay,” but she caveats this to say she means for oil spills, uncapped wells, and air quality, not for climate mitigation. She’s criticized EV mandates, saying they discriminate against the poor, instead of taking Steyer and Becerra’s position of using policy to decrease EV costs. She also, like Becerra, favors grid modernization to achieve the CAP’s net zero goals, with a caveat for affordability. She’s a big fan of infrastructure based carbon sequestration, in lieu of full fuel stock transition, which is mostly a bunk technology and scam favored by GOPers (I’m a green builder and former UNEP advisor, so I’m more than happy to explain why she’s being dangerously idiotic about this, from a technical perspective). So, yea, clean coal, baby! She seems to lack a comprehensive wildfire plan and has focused on getting FEMA funding from the Feds. She has said she wants more wildfire resilience measures, she’s criticized the greed of insurers, in general terms, and wants more grid safety, again only in the most general terms.

This one is point Becerra, with a big fat nothing for Porter. Steyer wants the same things as Becerra but seems to have given fewer specifics. Becerra created the CAP, Steyer affirms the CAP, and Porter thinks the CAP is too expensive. This is profoundly disappointing, Katie. You know, I started this exercise thinking Porter’s the most progressive candidate, with the best thought through plans to turn the consensus progressive vision into reality. But nope. Climate is my top litmus test issue for governor. And she’s basically the most right wing of the three on it. I am no longer leaning toward her, and am now prioritizing Becerra and Steyer, both with reservations noted elsewhere.

The following is a copy/paste from Indivisible of California (Al Wei) on CA gubernatorial candidates' policies and experience on #climate and #FossilFuels

NIGHTS OF BLUE SKIES
(SOUND)

DAY 18 APRIL 2026

TODAY JOY

PRESIDENT BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA MET WITH MAYOR ZOHRAN KWAME MANDAMI FOR THE FIRST TIME
Diversity is America

How wonderful singing with the chicken in the BRONX

We need more of this
More like the two of them
To turn the wheels

Why Iran's Blockade Is an Oracle Story If you have been following this newsletter, you know I have spent a long time tracking Oracle through nearly every corner of American infrastructure, from the Cerner rebuild to the Stargate contracts ...

What do Jared Kushner, Benjamin Netanyahu, Tony Blair, Marco Rubio and, wait for it… Larry Ellison (Oracle) have to do with each other AND with everything that’s happening in the #MiddleEast? 🧐

And, maybe you’ve figured it out by now, how does the #BoardofPeace…
🧵
open.substack.com/pub/thedreyd...

I keep hearing I should be more open to Marjorie Taylor Greene because she demanded Trump release the Epstein Files.

But she had no problem being buddies with known human trafficker Matt Gaetz, supported Trump even when he was an adjudicated rapist and was a seditionist on January 6th.

So I won't.

‘Dark Money’ Floods Virginia Redistricting Fight, With Millions Linked to Peter Thiel The results of Tuesday's referendum could reshape the midterms this November.

Peter Thiel, who thinks freedom & democracy are incompatible, and hates the social safety net & women voting, is trying to buy the outcome of VA’s redistricting vote to further his disgusting anti-democratic views.

Don’t let him!!!!! VOTE YES, Virginia, on 4/21, to stop Thiel.

I could not imagine it either Kid....until several family members- including my only sister- showed me. 😟

Was bizarre- for these folks it wasn't until the beginning of his second term that they became cult-like.

Poll: Trump's approval rating hits second-term low as Americans sour on the economy and Iran war Two-thirds of Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of inflation, according to an NBC News Decision Desk Poll, with some cracks emerging in his GOP support.

When I look at these polls I always have to ask, and I imagine you do too… Who are the 37% of Americans who still approve of the job the 🍊💩🤡 is doing? 🧐

#TrumpsApprovalRating

flip.it/Nh1TAa

HEIST the documentary film YouTube video by HEIST the documentary

At the very beginning of tRvmp 2.0, #ElonMusk & #DOGE literally unfolded a coup, gutting & shuttering the Federal Government Agencies that help Americans and America to be safe, healthy and prosperous. This documentary, released roughly a year after the facts, shows…

🧵
youtu.be/EEWc4K3WoZM?...

I hate gerrymandering, on principle. It reduces local control and voters’ voices. But as Republicans weaponize it to both nationalize and control election mechanisms and outcomes in their favor, countering that effort in places like California and Virginia is necessary.

📌

Trump STUNNED as House Republicans REVOLT AGAINST HIM YouTube video by Legal AF

Here’s some Good News‼️

6 Republicans have actually crossed the aisle to pass a discharge petition to vote on a bill protecting the #TPS of the 350,000 #Haitians in the U.S.❗️

It’s a start! @mspopok.bsky.social of #LegalAF has been reporting on this and so have I.
youtu.be/rZt2bJRKGPU?...

How the California governor candidates measure up on wealth inequality and healthcare, via #Indivisible

Xavier Becerra gains massive jump in new CA governor's race poll after Swalwell exit The latest poll from Inside California Politics and Emerson College Polling shows Xavier Becerra earning a massive jump among Democrats.

#XavierBecerra may have gained a “massive jump” in polling, but the two Republicans and Tom Steyer (not another billionaire 🤦🏼‍♂️) are still ahead!

Becerra is tied at 10% with Katie Porter.

California Dems… please get behind the guy most qualified for the job❗️
abc7news.com/post/former-...

Apple is closing its first unionized store in the country.

Reminder that Apple spent $700B+ on stock buybacks over the past decade.

CEO Tim Cook raked in over $74M in compensation in 2025 — 650 times the median Apple employee's pay.

The greed of union-busters knows no end.

BREAKING: An appeals court rejected President Trump's effort to revive his executive order targeting gender-affirming medical care for transgender people under 19.

The order will stay blocked nationwide as our lawsuit moves through the courts.

Trump has launched three more boat strikes this week, bringing the total death toll to 177.

Remember: No judge or jury has found these boats were trafficking drugs. We're taking Trump's word for it.

This is murder. We must not lose sight of this lawlessness.

Farmers can't afford to wait months for a John Deere tech to show up and overcharge them to repair their tractor.

It's time to make right to repair the law of the land — for farmers, our military, car owners, and all Americans.

The Daily Beans The Daily Beans is a women-owned and operated progressive news podcast for your morning commute brought to you by the Webby award-winning host of Mueller, She Wrote, Allison Gill, and comedian/fund-ra...

TODAY: Pirro's prosecutors are kicked off the Fed Reserve site, mass civil rights violations at the Everglades concentration camp, and Chinook salmon are hatching in the Upper Klamath River for the first time in a century. News with swearing: the-daily-beans.simplecast.com

January 6 was a violent assault on our democracy, and those responsible must be held accountable.

Erasing these convictions undermines the rule of law and disrespects the law enforcement officers who put their lives on the line defending the Capitol.

Wow. Donald Trump bypasses Congress to launch a war that’s rattling the global economy, and now Russell Vought is in a Senate budget hearing playing careful like he just needs more time to “get the numbers right.”

This isn’t about dotting i’s and crossing t’s — it’s dodging accountability.

BREAKING: The House of Representatives passed a bill that will provide a 3-year period of protection and work authorization to Haitians, after the Trump administration illegally terminated Temporary Protected Status for thousands of our loved ones and neighbors who fled Haiti.

Imagine, if you will, your federal government covering up for; not only 1, not 2, & not even 3, but many murders of civilians. Even done in brood daylight with cameras rolling. Because they can and are allowed to. Talk to any POC. Talk to any Native American.They know.

Welcome to the twilight zone!