Gin

Trump Administration's New Healthcare Plans Could Slap Families With $31,000 Deductibles | Common Dreams New Trump healthcare plans offer lower premiums but come with high deductibles, risking financial burden on patients. Ex

Trump’s grand plan to lower health care costs is to make changes to the Affordable Care Act that could increase a family’s yearly deductible to $31,000.

That’s after he let ACA subsidies expire in his big, ugly bill.

Remember: he doesn’t actually care about making your life better.

We can afford no more at such a price.

A woodcut of an owl above the text "holy fuck my brain is tired"

I was surprised to learn that this is the all-time most popular Effin' Birds comic over the nine year run (so far).

A comic of two foxes, one of whom is blue, the other is green. In this one, Blue and Green are in bed. Sleepy-eyed Blue peers out from under the blanket at Green, who is wide awake and frowning. Blue: You're spinning again. Green: This bed is too hard. Blue wakes up properly to look at Green, who looks back to him. Blue: Really? I'd say it's too soft actually. Green: I wonder what would happen if we got two mattresses, for our own sides of the bed? Blue: ...increased risk of Goldilocks breaking in?

What I see in independent media isn't a waiting replacement for legacy media, but a thousand little experiments in how to make news sustainable.

And the good thing about a thousand little experiments is that you don't need them to all be successful.

we will have the Mayor’s sword borne before us.

Donald Trump canceled Direct File after giant tax prep companies spent millions lobbying.

Why? Because Direct File let you file your taxes for free.

So today, I’m introducing a bill to make Direct File the law of the land. And 160 members of Congress are joining me.

Yay! I'm sure I'm not the only person who'd like the kid-friendly art!

Broaden, Simplify, Personalize — Jay Heinrichs They're the secret to framing. You can use these tools to win just about any argument or issue.

A college friend wrote "How to Argue with a Cat," which is not really about arguing with a cat, but you can sort of think of cultists as cats and treat them accordingly. www.jayheinrichs.com/blog

I think there's a difference based on source. Won't listen to pro
fact-checkers, but respected family/friends can get through if you keep it simple. I think I read somewhere that a constant, "That's a lie/offensive, and I won't tolerate it," and refusing to engage further changes minds eventually

Well, if Trump is suing for $10 billion because of leaked info from the IRS, that means the government is on the hook for about $427 trillion here — more than its total budget over U.S. history. Oh well!

"Friends" is a beloved American sitcom that aired from 1994 to 2004, following six young adults—Rachel, Ross, Monica, Chandler, Joey, and Phoebe—living in New York City. The show explores their friendships, romances, careers, and personal growth over ten seasons.

I love the joy these two share AND the mayor's willingness to learn something new, and to do it publicly, even knowing he'll likely make mistakes and will need to be corrected.

As we head into March, putting out our first HEADS UP to potential artists:

In 2024, we had amazing success offering PDF coloring sheets for $1. Since we know we have so many amazing artists out there, please consider designing something that would be fun to color in! Cheerful profanity welcome!

I love this idea! I wonder if there might be some kid-friendly artwork too? I'm not much of a color-er myself, but I know some kids who are, and they have birthdays and gift-holidays coming up.

the 'restrictions' are worth stating explicitly. Anthropic doesn't want its AI to be used to make decisions about whether to kill someone without some human oversight. Hegseth says he won't accept that restriction.

“I think it would be great if we started trying to normalize the idea that the Framers could have gotten things wrong.”

I may find search engines annoying these days (even with AI turned off), but I'm amused that if I put "fuck yahoo" into Yahoo's search engine, the first result is instructions for how to remove Yahoo's search engine from my settings.

Hungry for Affirmation, Vulnerable to Scams: As a Writer, I Know the Feeling

Gift link. When it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Writer Beware, @victoriastrauss.com and @sfwa.org get a shout out. ... #authors #writingcommunity #scams

www.nytimes.com/2026/02/25/b...

Thank you for being willing to acknowledge a correction!

I know I'm late to this realization, but the Medal of Freedom, the Purple Heart, the Legion of Merit, the Medals of Honor, and also the very presence of the men's hockey team is all...*all...about Trump basking in their reflected glory.

I think an underrated factor of the techbro AI boom is that they hate their life’s day to day work, it makes them miserable, and so they assume everyone else must hate theirs too. They do not understand why we don’t also want the liberation they crave.

Carrots are SHOCKINGLY good, just light-years better, when home-grown with home-grower varieties. (You mention them, just reinforcing it.)

> From: "queryrebecca@rebeccasinclairassociates.com" <queryrebecca@rebeccasinclairassociates.com> > To: "[redacted]> > Date: 02/25/2026 9:36 AM EST > Subject: Turn Your Manuscript Into a Traditional Deal > > Dear [redacted], > Congratulations on your successful 2026 acquisition! > > This is Rebecca Sinclair from the acquisition team working with Harper Collins, Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, and Macmillan. These companies are major traditional publishers interested in acquiring the rights to your book. > > A few months ago, your book [redacted] was scouted by a partnered independent book scouting agency. Your book stood out among the numerous submissions we received, and we were thoroughly impressed by the creativity, imagination, and heart that it brings to the table. We would like to congratulate you on this remarkable achievement, which is a testament to your outstanding writing skills and dedication to your craft. Your story has captured our attention and our hearts, and we are thrilled to have the opportunity to work with you and help bring your vision to life. > > I’d like to inform you that your content material has been accepted. They are interested in acquiring it this year. April 2026 will be the official CONTRACT of your manuscript's initial negotiable and taxable worth release date. On the same day, you will receive a check for the publishing rights of your book. Please review the details below for your manuscript's initial negotiable and taxable worth. > > $80,000- $100,000 > 30% monthly royalty > 3-year contract > > We are currently finalizing the date of the deliberation for the 2026 acquisition, hopefully we can schedule it before the above-mentioned release date of your contract. In addition, please see the details below for the requirements needed to be submitted before March 15. > > 1. Developmentally Edited Manuscript > 2. Author's Bio > 3. Synopsis of the book (not necessarily lengthy) > 4. 5 reviews from accredited professional …

Check out this unusually elaborate scam literary agency website. Count the fakery: fake "team". fake clients (all images stock or AI) & fake sales claims. This outfit is soliciting using an email template I recognize from a previous scam www.rebeccasinclairassociates.com

Cartoon by Nick Anderson

You may want lots of ice packs, and you can get cast covers (just search on that phrase) for showering. If you tend to use your hands (on safety bars, etc.) to get up from the toilet, you can get a toilet seat riser (search that phrase) that makes it easier to stand and isn't a permanent/$$$ change

A friend had wrist surgery (bad break, not carpal tunnel), and another friend with broken-wrist experience told me to get her this (not necessarily this brand; there are lots of options if you search arm elevation): www.amazon.com/dp/B09C5ZB721 and I did, and she said it was a life-saver.

Nobody is interested in the lies Donald Trump is telling about his tariffs.

Americans just want their money back.

Comic. [Person is sitting at a desk with a laptop, turned toward voice coming from off-panel.] VOICE FROM OFF-PANEL: I got you the ingredients for dinner tonight. Oh, and the plums in the fridge drawer are for my yogurt tomorrow; you should just leave them. Be back later! PERSON’S THOUGHT BUBBLE: Oh no. [caption] Help. It actually happened. I shouldn’t. But how can I not!?

Plums

xkcd.com/3209/

THEY INTERVENED IN A FUCKING PRE-PLANNED SNOWBALL FIGHT AND ... GOT HIT BY SNOWBALLS. WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU PEOPLE?