A lot of people, including me, were wondering how an IRB could ever approve this study.

The answer is that no IRB did. The person who “signed off” on approval from the only ethics board that reviewed it had resigned three years earlier. His signature was used without his knowledge.

The question of our time is how do you artistically rebel — and win — against a totally flat cultural landscape? And before my readers, who I assume are all approximately 36 years old and very tired, say, “so what, who cares?” This does matter. I mean, just look around right now lol. You know things are bad when even OpenAI President Greg Brockman is posting stuff, like “Taste is a new core skill.” If people had taste, your company wouldn’t exist, Greg. But if everything is just attention now, and attention is completely commodified by algorithmic tech platforms, how can you push back against that? Well, I am slowly coming around to a theory on the new cool: You have to essentially pre-deplatform yourself. Culture right now is determined not by human teams of editors and producers picking and choosing what youth culture gets the spotlight, but, instead, by the unthinking algorithms that power YouTube and TikTok. Which means the only things that have the level of scarcity and danger required to be seen as cool by young people will, slowly, but surely, be whatever is unacceptable on those platforms.

A post so smart I'm almost afraid to share it.

www.garbageday.email/p/the-only-t...

This is the Republican party in a nutshell—they don’t give a damn about children who were raped by wealthy pedophiles. All they care about is helping their Epstein class donors (many of whom are in the Epstein Files themselves) get richer.

US Olympic Curling Team member speaks out against ICE:

"I'm proud to represent Team USA. But we'd be remiss if we didn't mention what's going on in Minnesota and what a tough time it's been. What's happening is wrong. There's no shades of gray."

The man who told reporters it’s time to move on from the Epstein files won’t shut up about the 2020 election.

Press statement From Islip Forward: At approximately 9:30 a.m. this morning, federal agents were documented using infrastructure located on the property of the Central Islip Fire Department Station 2, at 110 Wheeler Road-without prior authorization to be on or use that space. When a volunteer with Islip Forward approached to document the activity, federal agents threatened the volunteer with arrest for alleged trespassing, despite the agents themselves operating in an area where no prior permission had been granted. Immediately following this interaction, the Central Islip Fire Department took swift action to protect its property and the public. Temporary restrictions were implemented, including closing the gate to the area being used and preventing external access. The use of municipal fire department property for federal enforcement activity—without authorization-and the subsequent threat directed at a community volunteer raise serious concerns about transparency, overreach, and respect for local institutions. We are deeply grateful to the volunteer firefighters of the Central Islip Fire Department for their decisive and responsible response.

ICE was stealing equipment from the Islip Long Island fire department and a Islip Forward member documented it. ICE tried to arrest the community member but the firemen said “I don’t think so” www.islipforward.org

Kristi Noem and her department’s latest attempt to mislead the American public regarding the brutal and unjustified killing of Alex Pretti is deeply shameful, and she must be impeached and removed from office immediately.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara: "People have had enough. This is the third shooting in less than 3 weeks. The MPD went the entire year last year recovering about 900 guns from the street, arresting hundreds of violent offenders, and we didn't shoot anyone ... this is not sustainable."

Alex Pretti was a colleague at the VA. We hired him to recruit for our trial. He became an ICU nurse- I lover working with him. He was a good kind person who lived to help and these fuckers executed him.

White. Hot. Rage.

Tomorrow’s front page of the Minnesota Star Tribune: Jan. 23, 2026

Over on Xitter, the community note blames it on spellcheck 😂

Photo by Pierre Lavie. Yes this is me. And I threw my Leica. It landed on the bass plate with hardly a scratch. Another Photographer grabbed it along with my phone and I was able to track him later. I was held face down tear gas deployed right in front of me and pepper sprayed directly into the eye.

Sorry. Has someone said this?
1) Trump can’t impose tariff unilaterally
2) Trump has no $$ to buy Greenland
3) Trump has no authority to leave NATO

This is what the rule of law looks like. Peaceful protest is protected. Retaliation by federal agents is not. A judge just put that in writing.

YouTube video by Sen. Elissa Slotkin My response to Jeanine Pirro's investigation:

Last week, the U.S. Attorney for D.C. asked to interview me because of a 90-second video that President Trump didn't like.

The intimidation *is the point*. And it’s not going to work.

Watch my full response.
youtube.com/shorts/rM4PY...

Still do cuz those suckers are loud enough to wake me up 😜

Today, we were officially notified by USG that Pres Trump's memo that revoked my security clearance w/o due process is no longer in effect over me. My access eligibility to classified info has been restored.

On Dec 23, 2025, a federal court ruled his action was unconstitutional. Rule of Law wins!

Time to Ask if Stephen Miller Has Authorized Assault and Murder of Peaceful ICE Observers - emptywheel Given how consistently Greg Bovino is at the scene of unjustified violence against ICE observers, including today's shooting, and given Bovino's refusal to answer whether Stephen Miller has given him ...

Greg Bovino, who is CBP, not ICE, has been the Where's Waldo of abusive immigration enforcement from the very start.

He was present in MN. His dudes did the shooting in OR.

He reports to Stephen Miller, the guy who ordered up murderboats.

www.emptywheel.net/2026/01/07/t...

And the J6 adjacent Mrs. Alito

Idiotic right-wing propoganda: "London - before everything, it was one of the most beautiful, clean and safest places in Britain." In the AI image, a character in the foreground has his feet on the wrong way, facing backwards.

London in the good old days - before everyone's feet pointed forwards.

Nah. I worked at a fancy SoCal hotel/spa in 2000. A big name star requested a midnight massage and they allowed it. That young kid was alone with the client in the spa and, I believe, manipulated. The therapist reported it, but I‘ll never forget those haunted eyes. At least the asshole star was 86’d

Christ on a bike, this is brilliant.
And disgustingly historically accurate. 10/10

He thought it was a layup, since Strickland supported Trump in 2024 😂

Dayum, Adin Ross just got embarrassed so badly.

A CALL TO ACTION: Submit “Media Bias” Tips The White House recently launched a Media Bias Portal as a service to truth and transparency. Its purpose is to combat the baseless lies,

The White House has launched a webpage to report "media bias" tips. It would be a pity if it were flooded with tips about every show on Fox News.
www.whitehouse.gov/articles/202...

#PeteHagueseth

🚨🚨 ICE ALERT 🚨🚨

ICE agents have been reported in the Boone (NC) and adjacent areas. They are targeting Christmas tree farms, conducting Kavanaugh stops, and are waiting outside certain stores.

Warn anyone who needs to be. Remember ICE can’t come on your private property w/o judicial warrants.

NEW: Epstein survivors release the most powerful PSA I have ever seen.

Make this go viral so every member of the House of Representatives sees it.