Brooke T. Sample

My best friends are "aunts" and "uncles" to my kid -- and they're a lot closer to him than my actual siblings ever will be. It just felt natural from the start to refer to them as Auntie Leeza or Uncle Charlie or whatever.

a woman in a dalmatian costume is feeding a bunch of cats ALT: a woman in a dalmatian costume is feeding a bunch of cats

Gen X here and I’m all for it

Child shows off bandage covering site of flu vaccine in upper arm.

My kid took his flu shot like a boss today. My boss editor friend shepherded this excellent AP investigation into anti-science efforts around the country. apnews.com/article/vacc...

Hidden consultants and hurried payments: Records reveal details of DeSantis' campaign against abortion and marijuana amendments Ron DeSantis employed campaign strategists as subcontractors, bent procurement rules, and took millions from reserves, in a taxpayer-fund ad campaign against two citizen-led ballot measures last year.

New: Ron DeSantis paid campaign strategists via hidden subcontracts, made rushed payments under misleading pretenses, and took millions of dollars from reserves, in a taxpayer-funded advertising war last fall against abortion and marijuana ballot measures:

jasongarcia.substack.com/p/hidden-con...

George Santos is the 10th GOP Congressman to get a pardon or clemency from President Trump. The other nine were also all convicted of various criminal charges:

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Yes, this seems like an issue of national importance

All-white Maine coon cat lounges on a vendor table at the Catsbury Park convention in Holmdel, NJ, at Bell Works.

Happy #caturday from this magnificent beast, seen at Catsbury Park — the cat convention at Bell Works, where “Severance” is filmed! Anyway: It’s been a better way to spend a Penn State game day yet again.

A democracy needs copy editors There’s no single solution for this crisis of trust, but fixing it may start by distinguishing news media from social media through a renewed commitment to quality and standards. And

THAT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN TRYING TO TELL YOU

h/t @johnemcintyre.bsky.social (do we still do h/t?)

Can Canada Survive Donald Trump? Under assault from an increasingly aggressive and authoritarian United States, the country’s future looks less secure than at any time in postwar history.

Latest from my always-thoughtful colleague @franciswilkinson.bsky.social

MAGA’s “Voter Fraud” Watchdog Votes in a Swing State. He Doesn’t Live There. A long paper trail shows that Jack Posobiec casts a ballot in one state and lives in another.

SCOOP: PA prosecutors were alerted to possible voting irregularities by one of MAGA's leading voices. A long paper trail shows Jack Posobiec has been living in Maryland but voting using his parent's address in Pennsylvania for years. Me with @marisakabas.bsky.social

slate.com/news-and-pol...

…

Oh, if you thought I was mad before …

(Bloomberg) -- The White House is halting $18 billion in New York infrastructure funding due to concerns over “unconstitutional” diversity and inclusion practices … “Specifically, the Hudson Tunnel Project and the Second Ave Subway,” he said in a post on X.

Nick Valencia, who has been doing amazing reporting, just wrote about this:

“These Are Abductions.” Newlywed Husband Says Wife Taken During Green Card Interview

open.substack.com/pub/nickvale...

“Steve Held, the journalist arrested tonight and taken to a so far undisclosed location, was part of the reporting team that exposed the falsity of ICE’s official narrative on the fatal shooting of Silverio Villegas González. His work speaks for itself.”

Also accurate.

It’s hard to say this was on Franklin. I’m not a big defender, but the play calling was solid tonight … but Allar wasn’t on it

My new cat just destroyed the only armchair I’ve ever found that fits a very particular space in my house. It was IKEA. Now I’m mad at everything, including the cat

Hundreds of Alligator Alcatraz detainees drop off the grid after leaving site As of the end of August, the whereabouts of two-thirds of more than 1,800 men detained at Alligator Alcatraz during the month of July could not be determined by the Miami Herald.

More than 1800 detainees are missing after the closure of Alligator Alcatraz. Their families and lawyers can’t find them and they’ve vanished from the ICE database. Feels like this should be a much bigger story www.miamiherald.com/news/local/i...

Trump’s $15 Billion NY Times Suit Also Has a Serious Intent The president wants to tear down another vital institution while unwinding legal protections for the media.

Trump sued me for $5 billion and lost. This is what I think he’s really after in the $15 billion defamation suit he just filed against the NYT, four reporters and Penguin Random House: www.bloomberg.com/opinion/arti...

Clicking on the link really did not help matters

If I have any credibility with you from 20 years of reporting on rightwing & fascist movements, please listen when I beg you not to celebrate Charlie Kirk getting shot. Leave aside morality: this isn’t a match in dry grass, it’s a torch. We do not want what this could ignite & we would not win.

Mine are, and if I can still hear them, it's mitigated enough to quell my irritation.

The ICE raid on the Hyundai plant in Georgia is bewildering.

Clive Crook explains how the White House is putting one of the US’ greatest strengths at risk 🎥

Uuuuugh

U.S. Open Orders Broadcasters to Censor Reactions to Trump An email obtained by Bounces includes instructions from the U.S. Open on supporting Trump's planned stagecraft during the National Anthem.

What the actual fuck.

US Tennis Association: “We ask all broadcasters to refrain from showcasing any disruptions or reactions in response to the President’s attendance in any capacity, including ENG [Electronic News Gathering] coverage.”

Black cat with one white paw yawns widely while stretching between naps on a gray armchair

Happy #Caturday from Jeffrey.

Just, what

via WSJ: RFK Jr. plans to announce that pregnant women's use of an over-the-counter pain medication is potentially linked to autism in a report that will also suggest a medicine derived from folate can be used to treat symptoms of the developmental disorder in some people

I just want to say for the record that when the history books are written centuries from now, I believe the election of Donald Trump in a free and fair election in 2024 will go down as one of the most senseless and self-destructive own goals in human history

Omg @harshwords.bsky.social