Catherine Sweeney

This is why we fund scientists to study things like oyster slobber even if you don’t think it sounds important

Trump tells a roomful of silent generals to join a ‘war from within’ The president delivered an unusually meandering speech to an unprecedented gathering of the nation’s top military leaders https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/09/30/trump-quantico-military-generals/

WSJ: Trump Tells Generals the Military Will Be Used to Fight ‘Enemy Within’ President says some U.S. cities he considers dangerous should become training grounds for American troops https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/pete-hegseth-trump-quantico-military-speech-80ffabe5?mod=hp_lead_pos7

LATimes: Trump says he wants to use U.S. cities as training grounds for military https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2025-09-30/hegseth-declares-an-end-to-politically-correct-leadership-in-the-us-military

NYT: Trump and Hegseth Recount Familiar Partisan Complaints to Top Military Leaders The U.S. generals and admirals summoned from around the world had been given little information about the planned event. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/30/us/politics/trump-hegseth-military-officers.html

One of these is not the same.

"Recount familiar partisan complaints"

Please pay attention

Not to prove her point as a boring friendless nerd but… on the debate team, you have to argue different sides of the same debate and win rounds of each to advance. Meaning you have to be able to internalize the logic of opposing views.

The “debate me bro” culture could never

Republican push for tips on Charlie Kirk posts drives firings of public workers • Stateline Hours after Charlie Kirk’s assassination, Suzanne Swierc shared two thoughts on her private Facebook page — that the killing of the right-wing activist was wrong, and that his death reflected “the vio...

"Wisconsin Republican U.S. Rep. Derrick Van Orden threatened to strip an entire town of federal funding after a high school math teacher noted on her personal Facebook page that Kirk had in the past said some gun deaths are worth it to have the 2nd Amendment." stateline.org/2025/09/26/r...

Also have seen pedestrian crossing signs that are in the middle of the road, where the lanes are, ploughed over so many times.
(Never saw this stuff in OKC but significantly less pedestrian infrastructure there)

There‘s one of those protected crossings with the lights and the STATE LAW signs by my building. And people will speed up and slam their brakes, honk, yell — you name it. On a 35 mph road between two stoplights.

I’m not qualified to do it but I’d do anything to read a 4,000-word feature on anti-pedestrian rage in Nashville.

I just spent a week in Portland. The city was busy with tourists and locals enjoying late summer. A prosperous downtown. Factually, there is no observable evidence of a city needing military intervention. A reminder that this is not normal. Please pay attention.

In case anyone thought ICE shooting at journalists was just an LA thing. Or that they'd cut it out after repeated warnings from judges. Nope. More of the same in Chicago.

🥹

Tennessee ranks among the top 5 states for confirmed Hep B cases in adults. The virus is blood-borne and can be passed during delivery. There is no legal requirement to test during pregnancy, TN has low access to prenatal care. Immediate vaccine = low risk of infection in infants

WPLN discusses: Federal vaccine news is leaving everyone confused — including doctors Tennessee ranks among the top five states in the nation for Hepatitis B infections, and policy changes in Washington could make it harder to protect

President Trump is posting to social media, giving dangerous advice about Hepatitis B shots. www.reuters.com/business/hea...

He's saying to wait until kids are 12. Here is a story on why it's important to get them in the first 24 hours of life.

wpln.org/post/wpln-di...

well meaning people love to be like ‘aren’t you scared of being left behind if you don’t start using AI in your work’ and from the bottom of my heart: no, im not scared of that. i would rather go back to restaurants for the rest of my life than publish AI ‘books’

My employer New York Public Radio just announced that it is offering @onthemedia.bsky.social, @radiolab.bsky.social, and other programs to at-risk public radio stations for free! More info: current.org/2025/09/wnyc...

The ability to criticize and yes, mock, our political leaders is (was?) America's greatest strength. And there's also the mundane matter of first amendment caselaw, under which government may not impose viewpoint-based conditions on permitting for public displays of private art.

Newsletters - Nashville Banner Sign up for our free daily newsletter. Start each day with a rundown of the most important stories impacting our city and state.

Another reason to subscribe to the @nashvillebanner.bsky.social (and support with $$ if you can) is that we are not owned by a national corporation subject to threats against a potential merger or financial pressures on a cruise ship business. nashvillebanner.com/newsletters/...

The FDA statement ends with a paragraph undermining its own warning.

They signal parents to avoid acetaminophen. Except sometimes. And then:

No “causal relationship… established” with ADHD or autism

AND

Alternatives to acetaminophen have “well-documented adverse impacts.”

a small brown dog leaps up from behind a pile of crunchy brown leaves. her eyes and mouth are open wide, and her big floppy ears are extended out like wings to either side.

This is Annie. She freaking loves fall. 13/10 (FB: James Osborne)

Israel attack on Yemeni newspaper was second deadliest on journalists ever recorded Press freedom group says ‘brutal and unjustified attack’ is deadliest since 2009 Maguindanao massacre in Philippines

Last week, Israel targeted and massacred 34 newspaper reporters in Yemen.

According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, it was the second deadliest attack on journalists ever recorded.

Anyone who signs this pledge is not a journalist.

Jimmy Kimmel’s show wasn’t suspended because of comments about Charlie Kirk. Major media like the NYT keep saying that, but Kirk was just a pretext. In July, when Kirk was still alive, Trump reacted to the cancellation of Colbert’s show by saying “Jimmy Kimmel is next.” it’s not about Kirk.

Bottom line: A fund meant to protect Oklahoma’s health future is now entangled in a partisan scorecard fight. The stakes? $2 billion in public money — and whether culture wars will outweigh financial returns.
10/

When I covered a small county in Colorado, I was writing a lot about problems in one official’s office — service complaints, management challenges, etc. She was related to a county commissioner. I started seeing all these theories that *I* was related to a different, rival county commissioner.

Our story is UPDATED:

- Hep B vote pushed until tomorrow
- confusing, split vote on mmrv (see below)

More tomorrow 👋

If you have questions about the CDC committee’s vote today on vaccines, fire away. It is a complicated issue and can be confusing. #ACIP

I know this is dumb but I wish it were transpoRtainment. Both words have an R there.

Donald Trump’s new $15 billion lawsuit against the New York Times spends four pages celebrating the settlements by ABC and Paramount. This is what capitulation gets you: more of the same sorts of attacks.

Universities fire teachers for comments on Charlie Kirk's death - Nashville Banner Firing of university professors over comments about Charlie Kirk's death sparks debate on free speech and political opposition.

Wrote about professors and university employees getting fired in Tennessee for posts about Charlie Kirk’s life and/or death. nashvillebanner.com/2025/09/16/c...

A screenshot of a social media post from Greg Abbott. The text says: "This is what happened to the person who was mocking Charlie Kirk’s assassination at Texas Tech. FAFO." The attached image shows a young woman with long braids, wearing a patterned tank top and jeans, being handcuffed by two police officers in uniform. Her facial expression looks tense as she turns her head. Below, Abbott’s earlier post is quoted: "Definitely picked the wrong school to taunt the death of Charlie Kirk. Thanks Texas Tech." The post shows thousands of replies, retweets, and likes.

A screenshot of a social media post from Eric Daugherty. The text says: "🚨 UPDATE: It's being reported that this demon who danced on Charlie Kirk's grave has been expelled from Texas Tech. She said: 'f-ck y'all, yo homie dad!' They're finding out." Below is a still from a video showing a college campus walkway with students standing around. A woman with long hair, a backpack, and a tank top is at the center. On-screen text in the video reads: "Woke college student at Texas Tech mocks Charlie Kirk’s dath. 'Fck y’all... yo homie d*ad'. Make her famous." The post notes it was reshared from Gabriel and shows 3.5M views.

It may be distasteful but it is not illegal to mock someone's death and it should not warrant arrest, ever. The 1st Amendment exists specifically to protect disfavored speech and what is happening now is one of the greatest threats to free speech in the United States.