Dr. Mrs. Birgen

Federal Efforts to Punish Sanctuary Cities Are Unconstitutional While states and cities can choose to help enforce federal law, the 10th Amendment means that the U.S. government can’t force them to do so.

The DOJ lawsuit against LA for not helping with federal immigration policy violates the 10th Amendment, which provides that powers not granted to the federal government are reserved to the states as independent sovereigns.
bit.ly/44l4kBu

July 19, 2025 On July 20, 1969, U.S.

July 19, 2025

Sign that says: Beware of these Parasites: Deer Tick - with picture of deer tick Wood Tick - with picture of wood tick Luna-tick - with picture of Donald Trump in Crown looking like the King from Hamilton Underneath it says No Kings, Not Here, Not Now, Not Ever

Best sign from the Good Trouble Event

Waverly Wenches (Insufferable Wenches of Iowa) · Indivisible Join us in Waverly Wenches as we lay the groundwork for future actions and advocacy! For camaraderie, driving positive change and general shenanigans! Come ready to chat, plan, & work together for a ...

I'm attending Indivisible's event, “Waverly Wenches (Insufferable Wenches of Iowa)” - sign up now to join me! www.mobilize.us/indivisible/...

A creepy AI John Adams saying "facts do not care about your feelings."

I have the unfortunate duty to inform you that the WH & Dept of Ed, as part of the Trump Admin's celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, has partnered with Prager U to create AI-slop videos in which we see John Adams say "facts do not care about your feelings."

Trump administration yanks $15m in research into Pfas on US farms: ‘not just stupid, it’s evil’ Pfas-laden pesticides and sewage sludge used as fertilizer move into crops and nearby water sources

The real evil....PFAS in our waterways and groundwater.... 👇

Trump administration yanks $15m in research into Pfas on US farms: ‘not just stupid, it’s evil’. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Early life stress modulates behavioral sensitivity to alcohol and promotes escalation of alcohol drinking https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.06.27.661986v1

Trump stands around waiting for a military flyover that never comes and Fox News cuts away lmao

UPenn just communicated to every young trans person in the country that they are not safe on that campus. I hope every young person who was considering UPenn for college understands that and applies elsewhere. Your trans friends are not safe on that campus.

Important postscript on our recent study: We can confirm now that the recent heat domes over North America & Europe were part of a resonant "wave 7" hemispheric pattern that emerged in mid June, persisting through most recent data [analysis by @xuekeli.bsky.social]

Exclusive: White House announces AI education pledge The White House is announcing an "AI Education Pledge" on Monday.

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That Dropped Call With Customer Service? It Was on Purpose. Endless wait times and excessive procedural fuss—it’s all part of a tactic called “sludge.”

“Sludge”—tortuous administrative demands, endless wait times, and excessive procedural fuss—is impeding our lives and eroding our sanity. Chris Colin on how it got so bad, and what can be done about it:

Russia pays young Ukrainians to be unwitting suicide bombers in shadow war Oleh, 19, was offered $1,000 for a paint attack on a police station – but the bag he was given contained a crude bomb Oleh found the job via a Telegram channel offering day work and side gigs. It sounded easy enough: he was to travel from his home in eastern Ukraine to the western city of Rivne, pick up a rucksack containing a paint canister and spray it outside the local police station. It would require nimble feet to flee the scene without being caught, but the money on offer – $1,000 – was good, fantastic even, for what amounted to a morning’s work for the 19-year-old. Continue reading...

Russia pays young Ukrainians to be unwitting suicide bombers in shadow war

A List of Nearly Everything in the Senate G.O.P. Bill, and How Much It Would Cost or Save (Gift Article) The legislation includes tax cuts as well as big cuts to Medicaid, food benefits and other programs, and it would add more than $3 trillion to the national debt.

www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

Purple Heart Army veteran self-deports after nearly 50 years in the U.S. Sae Joon Park left for South Korea on Monday. His removal order was the result of drug possession and bail jumping charges from over 15 years ago — offenses that, he said, stemmed from untreated PTSD.

www.npr.org/2025/06/24/g...

tobias funke but it might work for us dot gif

Missteps, Confusion and ‘Viral Waste’: The 14 Days That Doomed U.S.A.I.D. The rapid dismantling of the global aid agency remains one of the most consequential outcomes of President Trump’s efforts to overhaul the federal government, showing his willingness to tear down institutions in defiance of the courts.

The rapid dismantling of USAID remains one of the most consequential outcomes of President Trump’s efforts to overhaul the federal government. Here is how the global aid agency’s demise unfolded.

Drying of a green bird on a black background with the words history doesn't repeat itself, but it often rhymes. Attribution Mark Twain

As ICE raids continue, parts of Los Angeles go empty  Missing vendors, markets of rotting food, and families frightened to leave home.

On a normal day, the lines at Angel’s Tijuana Tacos’ many locations can easily stretch down a long block, as a team of workers make tortillas by hand, shave fresh meat in front of a roaring...

‘I Feel Like I’ve Been Lied To’: When a Measles Outbreak Hits Home

Gift Article on recent outbreak. www.nytimes.com/2025/06/22/u...

Federal judge says Trump administration can't block state funding over immigration The ruling comes ahead of a grant application deadline on June 20, which would have required states to agree to enforce the Trump administration's immigration agenda or lose transportation funding.

www.npr.org/2025/06/19/n...

Ideally, when your country’s on the brink of war, you don’t want a reality TV game show host hyping it like: “Will we bomb them? Will we not? Tune in for the next episode of “Who Wants to Start World War III?”

The immigrants caring for the elderly are losing their jobs More than 41% of home health aides in the U.S. last year were foreign-born.

www.axios.com/2025/06/18/t...

Judge blocks Trump passport policy targeting transgender people A federal judge on Tuesday blocked President Donald Trump's administration from refusing to issue passports to transgender and nonbinary Americans nationwide that reflect their gender identities.

www.cnbc.com/2025/06/17/j... The policy the U.S. Department of State adopted pursuant to an executive order Trump signed likely discriminated on the basis of sex and was rooted in an irrational prejudice toward transgender Americans that violated the U.S. Constitution's Fifth Amendment.

Baby delivered prematurely from brain-dead woman on life support in Georgia April Newkirk says her daughter would be taken off of life support Tuesday.

www.pbs.org/newshour/nat...

Good morning. Today we celebrate Loving Day—honoring the 1967 Supreme Court decision that struck down bans on interracial marriage.

It’s a powerful reminder that love can change the law—and the world. Here’s to progress, unity, and love in all its forms. ❤️

Troops and marines deeply troubled by LA deployment: ‘Morale is not great’ Several service members told advocacy groups they felt like pawns in a political game and assignment was not necessary

i am not being pollyannish when i insist that the people who sign up do not sign up to advance a president’s domestic political agenda www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

The White House is deporting people to countries they're not from. Why? The administration argues the men's home countries won't take them — but lawyers say getting sent to a country like South Sudan could lead to more persecution.

www.npr.org/2025/06/01/g...

It's unclear whether the administration first tried to deport some of the men now in Djibouti to their home countries.

Here's the science behind the COVID vaccine in pregnancy Existing evidence on the safety and efficacy of getting a COVID vaccine in pregnancy all points the same way: the shot is important for maternal and fetal health.

www.npr.org/sections/sho...

Gaza: 26 killed in Israeli tank fire near aid centre, medics say Thousands of Palestinians had reportedly gathered near the aid centre when Israeli tanks opened fire on the crowd.

www.bbc.com/news/article...