Fiona "Fi" Webster 🌎🌍🌏

The future in Texas is bright and terrifying Democrats are once more dreaming of what could be. Republicans are dreaming of Rhodesia.

"I wrote 9 yrs ago that Beto O’Rourke could run the best campaign in Texas in decades & still lose by 5 points. In 2018 he did—& lost by 2.6 points.

"But Trump is underwater & just blew up the life boat. The situation for Dems in the state is not as dire as it seemed a year ago."

No pay wall.

2/ "To where should we all self-deport?" asks Digby. "Mars, I guess. Elon better get a move on."

digbysblog.net/category/unc...

1/ QOTD for Ice Barbie:

Rep. Correa: "What do you suggest I tell my constituents? Have a passport with you all the time?"

Noem: "No, I'd tell them to be grateful they live in a country where Pres. Trump is upholding the law. We will help them self-deport."

Correa: "These are American citzens!"

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As Dan Goldman faces a primary challenge, his support for Israel & $$ he receives from AIPAC may cost him votes in his progressive New York district.

in the weeks after 10/7, when the Goldmans were in Israel & forced to take shelter, his wife made some dubious posts.

Free link: archive.ph/OeTee

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The brands Casey Means has touted—while being paid thousands to promote them—are not all the epitome of health & safety that she has claimed them to be. At least 5 of her sponsors sold products allegedly containing hazardous ingredients or unsafe levels of lead & cadmium.

Free link:

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s killing plays into Shiite Islam’s reverence for martyrs, but not for all Iranians Khamenei was a deeply polarizing figure in Iran – perceived by some as a martyr and others as an oppressor.

Shiite tradition calls for 40 days of public mourning. While some Iranians came out to commemorate Khamenei, others celebrated his demise. The scenes reflected the contradictions in how Khamenei was perceived: by some as a martyr, and by others as an oppressor.

No pay wall.

Blasted out at 20 times the force of gravity: what ejection from a fighter jet does to the body Six US aircrew ejected over Kuwait after a friendly fire incident. Surviving the bailout may be the easy part.

Most people lose consciousness at 5G. Fighter pilots can withstand up to 9G with the help of anti-G equipment, but even that can only be sustained briefly. Ejection from a fighter jet generates forces far beyond that.

Article by an anatomy professor. No pay wall.

Welcome to the ‘gray zone’ − home to nefarious international acts that fall short of outright conflict Nations are becoming adept at provocations that fall in the area between routine peacetime actions and open warfare.

Nefarious actors shape elections without leaving irrefutable evidence of ballot manipulation. Rogue states interfere with infrastructure through actions that resist clean attribution. State-backed hackers can warp information environments while avoiding immediate blame.

No pay wall.

Congress once fought to limit a president’s war powers − more than 50 years later, its successors are less willing to assert their authority At the tail end of the Vietnam War, Congress engaged in a breathtaking act of legislative assertion, affirming that lawmakers’ held the power to declare war – not the president.

Article 1 of the Constitution gives Congress the power to declare war, not the president. But most modern presidents have asserted that Article 2 allows the president to use the military in certain situations without prior congressional approval.

A poli sci prof explains. No pay wall.

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Good piece on undergrads who heeded MLK's call, inspired to join others traveling to Mississippi, where voting rights were under attack. 1964's Freedom Summer was dangerous work. It shook the conscience of the nation.

Voting rights are again endangered, now by the WH..

Free link: archive.ph/WhKjD

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Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence reached out indirectly to the CIA with an offer to discuss terms for ending the conflict, according to those briefed on the outreach.

US officials are skeptical that either the Trump administration or Iran is really ready for an offramp,

Free link: archive.ph/LtAX1

California Democrats defy call from party to abandon crowded race: ‘Voters choose the next governor’ State party chair had urged candidates with no ‘viable path’ to victory to drop out to ensure Democratic win in November

One day after California’s Democratic party urged candidates without a “viable path” in the state’s crucial race for governor to drop out, the crowded field showed no sign of winnowing down.

At least 9 Dems are in the running to replace the outgoing governor, Gavin Newsom, with no clear frontrunner

Israel flagged Hezbollah threat before launching air attacks, leaked memo shows US embassy cable said Israeli officials did not trust Lebanon or Syria to contain the group’s fighters

An internal US assessment indicates that Israeli officials had doubts that the Lebanese state could disarm Hezbollah even before Israel launched an aerial campaign against the group on Monday.

Three days after the US cable was sent, Israel launched the first of a wave of airstrikes against Hezbolla

From petrol to groceries: how Middle East crisis is driving up prices Global supply chains are disrupted and prices are rising across sectors amid warnings worse is to come if conflict persists

The conflict in the Middle East has disrupted global supply chains and triggered price rises across a range of categories, prompting accusations of price gouging and warnings of worse to come if the conflict persists.

A quick summary of what's affected.

How the US-Israeli war on Iran created a massive hole in global airspace Airlines are using long-readied contingency plans but bottlenecks have formed that no amount of planning can fix

War engulfing the Middle East has cleared the region’s skies, forcing airlines to make drastic rerouting plans & leaving a massive void in usually busy global airspace. Airlines have been forced to divert their passenger jets away from the Gulf or risk a catastrophic accident.

Middle East crisis live: US submarine sank Iranian warship, Hegseth says; Israel launches fresh strikes on Tehran More than 80 people killed and 32 crew members rescued alive from the 180-crew frigate Iris Dena

As always, the Guardian is a pretty good place for live updates on fast-breaking news. Just FYI....

Terrific! I read it because I'm a lifelong huge Patti Smith fan. She's led me to dozens of writers I would never have discovered without her.

Hope you're right! Thanks for the follow. Followed you back. 🦋

One after one by the star dogged moon
Too quick for groan or sigh
Each turned his face with a ghastly pang
And cursed me with his eye
Four times 50 living men
(And I heard nor sigh nor groan)
With heavy thump, a lifeless lump
They dropped down, one by one

Coleridge! Awesome!

Wow. Delightful to listen to! Raskin is not just super smart & verbal, he has the ability to be outraged & in good spirits at the same time.

Thanks for the quote post, Pink Freud.

Following you. Check out my recurring 🧵of editorial cartoons, pinned to my profile, to see if you want to follow me back. I think artistic humor is good medicine.

Fuck Democrats and fuck everyone still running apology for them.

Traitors written about.

Me too! Say, I like your posts & reposts, so I'm following you.

Check out my recurring 🧵of editorial cartoons, pinned to my profile, to see if you want to follow me back. I think artistic humor is good medicine.

I was rooting for Crockett and a bit sad, TBH, but I like Talarico, as well, so the loss isn't as painful.

I am so proud of Rep Crockett's campaign and tirelessness @crockett.house.gov

I hope she'll run for Texas AG. She's damn smart, talented & a warrior.

Maybe focusing on changing Republican behavior would be more productive since there are more of them in Congress.

photo of Trump's ugly neck rash

What is the cause of 47's ugly neck rash?

Wrong Answers Only

Infected zombie bite from Karoline Leavitt

😂😂😂 Thanks for the follow. Followed you back. 🦋

David Horsey, Seattle Times