Mike Madden

‘Welcome to hell’: Inside the megaprison where the U.S. deported migrants Interviews with 16 former detainees of El Salvador’s Terrorism Confinement Center offer the most complete view yet of conditions inside the notorious prison.

One was beaten unconscious. Others were covered in bruises, struggling to walk or vomiting blood. Another said he’d been sexually assaulted.

These are the stories of 16 former detainees who were deported to El Salvador’s mega prison.

New apocalypse unlocked

Alan Dershowitz Takes on His Greatest Challenge Yet: A Farmers Market After a Martha’s Vineyard pierogi vendor refused to sell to him, Epstein’s lawyer plans to sue a farmer’s market so that they must sell to him.

After a Martha’s Vineyard pierogi vendor refused to sell to him, Epstein’s lawyer plans to sue a farmer’s market so that they must sell to him.

Reddit has a sub devoted to killing invasive lanternflies, because of course it does www.reddit.com/r/LanternDie...

But will you tell people how to listen to gentle flute safely?

I do sort of want to try Celsius now that I know it might be BONUS VODKA

GOP senators reject Trump’s pitch to use tariff revenue for ‘rebates’ Many Republican lawmakers said paying down the growing national debt was a higher priority.

The first of what will soon be many @rbeggin.bsky.social stories for @washingtonpost.com www.washingtonpost.com/business/202...

We sought this number for months, and we finally got it this week when @merylkornfield.bsky.social and @hannahnatanson.bsky.social presented their own tally — compiled through reporting from sources and constant calls to more than a dozen agencies. No one else has been able to report it until now.

The federal government is paying more than 154,000 people not to work Early resignation offers and other programs have reduced the workforce, but critics say the moves are also wasting money.

The federal government is paying more than 154,000 people not to work, in the name of cost-cutting www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

We get flooding AND heat here, it’s really the best

SCOOP: Substack sent a push alert promoting a Nazi blog The alert contained a swastika and prompted users to subscribe to newsletter featuring opinions and news important to the "white nationalist community."

Substack sent a push alert promoting a Nazi blog, by @taylorlorenz.bsky.social www.usermag.co/p/substack-s...

I used to go see the one at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum, but I only now realized they removed it in 1998 www.si.edu/spotlight/fo...

Whistleblower evidence suggests Trump judicial nominee Emil Bove misled Senate A third whistleblower has new information about a Justice Department official the president has nominated to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit.

Breaking news: A new whistleblower has shared evidence with lawmakers suggesting Emil Bove, the controversial former attorney for President Trump and current top Justice Department official, misled lawmakers during his confirmation hearing.

Rereading “Foucault’s Pendulum” for first time in years, inspired by a spring break visit to Paris. Where is the prestige TV limited series based on the book that we deserve???

Sort of the minimum consumption required to watch this club lately

Is "a vision" available in the summer transfer market, and for what price?

Please feel free to just keep them if you miss D.C. weather, we won’t mind

mmm you can have it if you'd like, please tell us where to send

The most humid summer was apparently the summer of 1994, which I spent working at a frozen custard stand in White Flint Mall after graduating from high school, so I didn't mind the humidity all that much

Why this D.C. summer is so miserably humid and stormy A tropical weather pattern — drawing near-record amounts of moisture from the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico — has settled over the Mid-Atlantic.

So far, this is the second-most humid summer in D.C. since 1945, with 573 hours (nearly 24 full days) of dew points about 70 since June 1 www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2025...

Defense Department to begin using Grok, Musk’s controversial AI Model Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence start-up said its models are now available to federal agencies.

The U.S. Department of Defense will begin using Grok, the AI chatbot built by Elon Musk’s start-up xAI that came under fire just last week after launching into an antisemitic rant and invoking Adolf Hitler.

I don’t think that’s the case at my synagogue, from having spoken to the guards

NEWS: On an 8-4 vote, the D.C. Council has voted to fund ranked-choice voting in D.C., starting as soon as the 2026 election cycle. The follows voters' approval of Initiative 83 last November. Second and final budget vote in late-July will be final say on this.

Rep. Randy Fine tweets: "The sad thing is that you even have to wonder if it was a hacking. Whether the woke left or right, these people are vile. And they will lose." Quote tweets a House Committee remarking: "Maybe [Elmo's] account was hacked, but this is a clear attempt to use a popular figure to..." Screenshot of Elmo tweeting "Elmo says ALL JEWS SHOULD DIE. FUCK JEWS. DONALD TRUMP IS NETANYAHU'S PUPPET BECAUSE HE IS IN THE EPSTEIN FILES. JEWS CONTROL THE WORLD AND NEED TO BE EXTERMINATED. RELEASE THE FILES [tagging Trump] CHILD FUCKER. Kill all Jews."

Congress having trouble figuring out whether that was really elmo

I realize that, I’m just saying it’s not that much money

We got a portable unit for the bedroom about midway through the summer, but it didn’t work that well and really could only get the bedroom to about 82. It did cut the humidity a lot though.

We lived in D.C. for one summer without AC (had just bought a house from 1914 that didn’t have it). I spent a lot of time that summer espousing the negatives of AC. Then we got it installed and I stopped.

Chelsea win Club World Cup: Donald Trump stays on stage with players for trophy lift Chelsea's Club World Cup celebrations in New Jersey were shared with an unexpected guest - US President Donald Trump.

Via BBC: When it was suggested he could make an executive order so that the sport was referred to as "football" from now on, Trump smiled and said: "I think we could do that. I think I could do that."

www.bbc.com/sport/footba...

I mean, I’d prefer if none of it was necessary, but I’d rather have it than not at this point

Our shul is safe enough to have massive outdoor services in a tent in the parking lot for high holy days, including a Kol Nidre service that doesn’t require tickets. If only all taxes were used this efficiently!