David Lauter

Tufted titmouse perched on a small branch and staring directly into the viewer

I promise this Tufted Titmouse isn't judging you! If you've never had one stare deep into your soul...you should try it!

What's your favorite small songbird?

#birds #birdnerd #birdphotography #natureisbeautiful

A small, vibrant bird with a black cap and back, a reddish-orange face and chest, and a creamy white underside is perched on a green reed. Its long yellow legs grip the reed firmly, and its sharp eyes are fixed forward. The bird is surrounded by large green leaves and dried brown foliage, creating a natural and textured background.

The master of disguise, the Least Bittern. These birds are so tiny and their coloration blends in perfectly with the vegetation, they can be impossible to spot, even when they're right in front of you. At Medio Queso, #costarica

#birds #herons

I’ve watched Matea Gold’s career for years, since she was a young reporter at the LA Times. She’s terrific. She’ll be a great asset for The NY Times and a loss for the Washington Post.

Thanks, Del.

Biggest lesson from my four decades of covering politics: Prepare to be surprised Trump's election was just the latest surprise in U.S. politics. If I've learned anything, it's that there will be more.

I'm sad to see @davidlauter.bsky.social end his column, but this is an excellent one to go out on - It's so critically important to keep things in perspective. History is really instructive, here.

www.latimes.com/politics/new...

Thanks

It's official: North Carolina's supreme court race is going to a recount.

Griffin, the Republican, requested one. He trails Justice Riggs, the Democratic incumbent, by 625 votes.

On Solitary Confinement, California Officials Side With the Prison System—Again Organizers wanted to ban the use of solitary confinement against pregnant Californians. They got something else entirely.

NEW: California opponents of solitary confinement have been pushing to restrict its use, & they thought this year they'd ban its use on pregnant women.

But the bill signed into law this fall, for 1st time in California, codifies solitary *can* be used on them. boltsmag.org/california-s...

This is really getting quite remarkable

• BlueSky user numbers have doubled in the past week and now total 3.5 million across US & UK 🚀

• Number of people deleting their X/Twitter account remains way up

And the next chart is particularly notable...

Decisive margin probably came from whims of low-information voters Many swing voters only pay attention to politics long enough to cast their ballots.

I wrote about the things I think are missing from the Dem discourse:
1) scope of the losses (you'd think this was 1984)
2) how media struggles to explain a second Trump win; easier to yell at Dems
3) there might not be a grand theory. it might be uninformed voters' vibes.

njour.nl/s/726851?unl...

The one thing the last few years have taught us is that Donald Trump *isn't* immune to the shifts in public opinion.

This time, that's worked in his favor. But there's nothing saying that a ton of voters angry about inflation will continue to back him — voters do respond to his actions.

How Attacks Against Obamacare Turned Into Tools to Protect Abortion Access Conservatives amended state constitutions to affirm broad rights for people to choose their health care. Now abortion rights proponents are taking them at their word.

BIG NEWS: A Wyoming judge just struck down WY's abortion bans.

And get this: The judge invoked a constitutional amendment codifying a right to make health care decisions... that was passed in 2012 by conservatives who thought it'd screw Obamacare! Just backfired.

We explained this lawsuit here:

Good stuff in there.

Trump's early moves send strong signals about what to expect President-elect Donald Trump opened his transition back to the White House this week with a flurry of personnel announcements that sent forceful messages to major constituent groups, potential politic...

Now that I’ve moved over here, here’s my most recent column for @latimes.bsky.social — on Trump’s nominees and the tests they pose for both his adversaries and his allies. www.latimes.com/politics/new...

Just 102 votes separate candidates in nation's closest House race, with more ballots to count Democrat Derek Tran is leading Republican Rep. Michelle Steel by 102 votes in what's become the tightest House race in the nation.

Just 102 votes separate candidates in nation’s closest House race. www.latimes.com/politics/sto...

This Roseate Spoonbill flew so low overhead that I could feel the wind from its wing flaps. #everglades #birds #birdphotography 🪶

The majority of news influencers are conservative men, study finds The latest Pew Research report on news content creators paints a damning picture of our skewed information ecosystem

One of my unpopular opinions is that creators are dramatically more exposed to ugly market forces than the imperfect mass media they’re replacing, and we’re going to miss the anticommercial tendencies inside of legacy newsrooms once they’re finally gone.

www.usermag.co/p/the-majori...

American Kestel showing off its breakfast, #everglades national park. #birds 🪶

a dolphin swims out of the water towards the boat with a half a dozen California gulls facing the same direction, like they're headed off to ocean war.

On Saturday I was on the Pacific Ocean for roughly 8 hours and I took a little over 10,000 shots.

Of those 1200 were of birds and dolphins in feeding frenzies where it's utter chaos for lunch.

Most of them, although fun, weren't the shot I was looking for.

This is the shot I was looking for. 🦑🪶

In the 19th century, Great Egrets were hunted nearly to extinction for their feathers. Today, however, it’s safe to display its breeding plumage — even in NYC’s Morningside Park. 🪶 #birdphotography #nybirds #migration

Golden State loses luster: Half of Americans say California in decline A new poll shows California's reputation battered by its high cost of living and by partisanship -- half of Republicans say the state isn't really American

California’s image nationwide has been battered by partisanship—Republicans see the state as embodying all they dislike—and its high cost of living, new poll for LA Times finds. www.latimes.com/california/s...

My last photo of 2023: This Gadwall swimming as the sun sets in the old year. Best wishes for the new year to come. #birds #birdphotography 🪶

Kicking Trump off the ballot won't be easy. Here's why Trump's opponents have succeeded in getting to the U.S. Supreme Court with their argument the 14th Amendment disqualifies him from the ballot. But they face hurdles.

Yes, Justice Samour’s dissent lays out the argument: There has to be some agreed-upon process for deciding who “engaged” in insurrection. The ad hoc hearing in Colo. district court doesn’t cut it. I wrote about that here: www.latimes.com/politics/new...

Kicking Trump off the ballot won't be easy. Here's why Trump's opponents have succeeded in getting to the U.S. Supreme Court with their argument the 14th Amendment disqualifies him from the ballot. But they face hurdles.

The case for excluding Trump from the ballot under the 14th Amendment has a potentially fatal flaw. Congress could fix it, but of course they won’t. My latest: www.latimes.com/politics/new...

American leftists who have given up on democracy do not know how bad it can get. Admittedly, I only know second hand.

The last five years, a Yellow-throated Warbler has spent the winter at Washington’s Hains Pt. Yesterday, it showed up for Year 6. Remarkable and lovely. #birds 🪶 #birdphotography

Young voters may be disenchanted with Biden, but they still oppose Trump, poll finds The president's problem with young voters isn't as dire as some recent surveys have indicated, a major new poll of young Americans shows. But the level of disenchantment is still serious, and lowered ...

The latest Harvard Youth Poll can tell us a lot about how young people are viewing their political choices. My latest: www.latimes.com/politics/new...

Why do California, Texas differ so much? Religion, priorities of white minority play huge roles, pol... Average Texans and Californians agree a lot more than their states' policies would suggest, even on issues like abortion and guns. Each tips slightly in one direction, but politics magnify the differe...

Why do Texas & CA differ so much? Sophisticated look by Jack Herrera at how the conflicting priorities of the white minority in both states tip them in opposite directions. Using poll data from YouGov www.latimes.com/world-nation...

🗃️The JWH has been migrating from that other site to this one. Could you please give us a boost here (and there) to move our followers to this more pleasant place? Thank you!

This handsome drake green-winged teal graces the Central Park pool today, with 2 females. A nice bonus for a holiday NY visit. 🪶#birds #photography #centralpark