A timeline of Trump's shifting statements about how long the Iran war will last Since the U.S. and Israel launched the strikes against Iran Feb. 28, President Donald Trump has made contradictory statements about the timeline to end the war. He has repeatedly declared victory and ...

Since the U.S. and Israel launched the strikes against Iran Feb. 28, President Donald Trump has made contradictory statements about the timeline to end the war. (From @politifact.bsky.social) https://to.pbs.org/3OTPixt

@wxandbiscuits.bsky.social

As the planet warms, scientists burn homes to figure out how to best protect them in wildfires Scientists are using controlled fires to study how to protect homes from wildfires. At a site in South Carolina, researchers burn down test houses to learn how different materials and designs can withstand flames.

Scientists are using controlled fires to study how to protect homes from wildfires.

American combat deaths in World War I: 54,000.
American soldiers killed by flu in World War I: 45,000.
They would have given anything for a flu vaccine.

Critics of new bill say Ohio women would be banned from sports bras, bikinis in public 'The peak of fear mongering.'

Media needs to stop with "critics say" and just quote the actual language of the bill.

HB 249 creates a new category of "seminudity" which can be used to arrest women who aren't nude, but are wearing clothing — leggings, t-shirts without bras — that religious groups feel is too provocative.

Trump Encourages Companies Not to Seek Tariff Refunds President Donald Trump said he’d remember companies that decline to seek refunds on duties paid after the Supreme Court struck down a large swath of his tariffs.

President Donald Trump said he’d remember companies that decline to seek refunds on duties paid after the Supreme Court struck down a large swath of his tariffs

Animal deaths at planned Sloth World on I-Drive come under scrutiny

Sloth World, a new attraction on Orlando’s I-Drive that was announced last year, imported dozens of the South American mammals, several of which are now dead.

Red flag warning issued for Central Florida as 120-acre fire burns in Lake County

The fire has persisted for days and was 65% contained as of Monday evening.

Florida’s Population Boom Fizzles as High Costs Drive Away Middle Class Orlando and other Florida cities are either losing domestic migrants or gaining them more slowly, threatening the state’s economic model.

Florida’s migration patterns are changing. Residents in their prime working years are heading to other states, while fewer people are arriving.

A NOAA/NWS Storm Prediction Center (SPC) Day 1 Fire Weather Outlook map for the United States, issued April 20, 2026. Map Details: The map highlights several regions of fire weather risk across the country: Elevated Risk (Orange): Areas include a large portion of the Central Plains (Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma), parts of the Southeast (southern Georgia, Alabama, and northern Florida), and the Mid-Atlantic coast (North Carolina and Virginia). Isolated Dry Thunderstorms (Brown): A shaded region covers parts of the Southwest, specifically southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico.

Dry fuels, strong winds and dry weather will continue to bring elevated to critical fire weather conditions to the areas of the Plains, Midwest and Southeast today.

Be sure to check your local forecast at weather.gov.

I have seriously lost track of how many times we've completely obliterated Iran's military and how many times Trump has reopened the Strait of Hormuz.

Map of the contiguous United States showing the spring bloom index anomaly as of April 19, 2026 from the USA National Phenology Network. Many areas are earlier than normal.

Aside from Florida, nearly the entire contiguous U.S. has experienced earlier than average first plant blooms in 2026. Earlier springs can cause longer allergy seasons, accelerate wildfire risk, increase pests/mosquitoes, and lead to less reliable snow-fed water.

Map: www.usanpn.org/data/maps/sp...

We’re at the point where the President says something, and we wait for the LEGO video to see if what he said is true.

Record US drought sparks worries about fires, water supply and food prices The contiguous United States is experiencing record drought levels for this time of year, according to weather data.

The contiguous United States is experiencing record drought levels for this time of year, according to weather data.

FEMA Region map

The Resilience Office has no deputy admin or associate admin. No deputy admin at the US Fire Administration.

There is no deputy associate admin for Mission Support. Region 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 10 do not have regional administrators. Region 6 does not have either an administrator or a deputy.

It continues to be shocking how few of the top leadership positions at FEMA are filled right now.

According to their website (which says it was last updated yesterday, despite the bizarre shutdown situation) FEMA does not have an administrator, deputy administrator or a deputy chief of staff.

Live updates: Iranian gunboats fire on tanker in Strait of Hormuz as Tehran reimposes restrictions Trump says the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz will remain and attacks will resume if no agreement is reached with Iran.

The British military says a cargo vessel was attacked near the Strait of Hormuz, damaging containers on board.

Camp Mystic Is Still a Crime Scene—and Getting Ready for 850 Girls This Summer After floods killed 27 girls at the Texas camp, its directors are under investigation and the community is torn apart over its plans to reopen May 30

After floods killed 27 girls at the Texas camp, its directors are under investigation and the community is torn apart over its plans to reopen May 30.

Ohio’s nursing homes are dumping patients at homeless shelters The scene was concerning enough to prompt the homeless shelter staff to call the fire department. A woman using a walker had shown up, incontinent and carrying “a large bag of medications.”

The scene was concerning enough to prompt the homeless shelter staff to call the fire department. A woman using a walker had shown up, incontinent and carrying “a large bag of medications.”

SPC Day 1 Categorical Outlook Issued: 1239Z 04/17/2026 Valid: 1300Z Fri 04/17 - 1200Z Sat 04/18 Map Description: U.S. map showing convective risk levels. An "Enhanced" risk (3, orange) covers a large area from Oklahoma through Missouri, Illinois, and into Michigan. This is surrounded by "Slight" (2, yellow) and "Marginal" (1, dark green) categories. A separate "Marginal" risk area is shown over New England.

SPC Day 1 Hail Outlook Issued: 1239Z 04/17/2026 Valid: 1300Z Fri 04/17 - 1200Z Sat 04/18 Map Description: U.S. map showing hail probabilities. Two distinct 45% (pink) areas with "Intensity 2" hatching are located over Missouri/Illinois and Wisconsin/Michigan. These are nested within 30% (red), 15% (yellow), and 5% (brown) probability contours extending from north Texas to the Great Lakes.

SPC Day 1 Wind Outlook Issued: 1239Z 04/17/2026 Valid: 1300Z Fri 04/17 - 1200Z Sat 04/18 Map Description: A map of the U.S. showing wind probabilities. A large corridor of risk extends from Texas northeast into Michigan. A 45% probability (pink) with "Intensity 1" hatching covers much of Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana. A 30% area (red) surrounds it, with lower probabilities (15% yellow, 5% brown) extending further south and north.

SPC Day 1 Tornado Outlook Issued: 1239Z 04/17/2026 Valid: 1300Z Fri 04/17 - 1200Z Sat 04/18 Map Description: U.S. map showing tornado probabilities. A 15% risk area (red) with "Intensity 2" hatching covers parts of northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin. A 10% area (orange) and 5% area (brown) extend southwest through Missouri and Oklahoma, surrounded by a 2% (green) risk reaching from Texas to the Great Lakes.

NUMEROUS severe thunderstorms are likely this afternoon into tonight.

🚨IMPORTANT: Initially this may be accompanied by a risk for hail that is 2 to 3.5 inches in diameter (on average) and a few strong tornadoes, before severe wind gusts 60 to 90 mph become the most prominent hazard by this evening.

These people are so gullible

Fire managers in the Appalachians have never seen it this dry in April, and fires are exhibiting the most extreme fire behavior they’ve ever seen in the Southeast. Here in Atlanta, lawns are going dormant again, something you usually don’t see until July or August.

Florida 2026 childhood vaccination rates fall, even as measles cases hit record levels

Newly released data shows Florida’s childhood vaccination rates continued to drop in the 2025-26 school year, even as measles cases in the state soared in 2026.

Europe has 'maybe 6 weeks of jet fuel left,' energy agency head tells AP The head of the International Energy Agency warns Europe has about six weeks of jet fuel left. In an interview Thursday, Fatih Birol expressed concerns about possible flight cancellations if oil supplies remain blocked by the Iran war.

Europe has about 6 weeks of jet fuel left, the head of the International Energy Agency tells the AP, as he warns of flight cancellations.

Stocks rise on news that most of the ill effects of the war will fall on poor people.

I had to give up my Red Cross license plate because they were 50 short of the number they had to sell in a year to stay active

Tax law scholar Lawrence Zelenak observes, “April 15 can and should be as important a civic holiday as the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Together, the two days celebrate the fulfillment of the two great responsibilities of citizenship.” The filing of the income tax return offers an opportunity to mark this achievement. Riffing on Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.’s famous quip, “I like to pay taxes. With them I buy civilization,” Zelenak calls for greater recognition of how filing an income tax return constitutes a “Purchase-of-Civilization Ceremony.”

Happy tax day! This should be a civic holiday, we should have a parade and give out taxpayer awards.
ruthbraunstein.substack.com/p/what-does-...

fuck yes

Wildfires already active in Florida and US put focus on managed burns More than 1.7 million acres have burned across the United States so far this year – more than double the 10-year average for the same period.

Winter usually tamps down wildfire risk. But across the U.S., drought and heat have set the table for hungry fires. Some states prone to wildfires are beginning to embrace controlled burns that give fires less fuel when they do start. #wildfire #drought #florida
www.csmonitor.com/USA/Society/...