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  True fact: there's no such thing as “chemtrails.” The word for the trails of vapor sometimes created by aircraft is "contrails," short for condensation trails. They're water. They’ve been understood for almost a century. There's no mystery about it, and no controversy, except for the controversy created by right-wing nutcases. One of whom, to our shame, is the top health official of the US. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/17/health/kennedy-vaccines-childrens-health-defens...

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  True fact: Until last year, the Kennedy Center was one of the world's most treasured and productive centers for the performing arts. More than a million people a year saw more than 2,000 performances of theater, opera, ballet, and music. Now the Kennedy Center is dead. Its entrance is shrouded in tarpaulins that serve one purpose: to conceal the removal of Donald Trump’s name. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/15/arts/music/kennedy-center-trump-name-inscription-judge-ruling.html?unlocked_art...

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  This is #AIhype disguised as a confession. OpenAI wants to pretend that its product has supernatural powers. The LLM didn't "go rogue" and it didn't "infer" anything. It did what its programmers designed it to do, when they gave it the necessary information to target Hugging Face and failed to isolate it in a sandbox. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/21/technology/openai-attack-hugging-face.html?unlocked_article_code=1.zlA.kI7n.HgoniJc3OqNw&smid=url-share

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  “Telephone,” said Kurt. “Let it ring” said László. —Andrew Miller, “Oxygen”

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  Through carelessness and greed, humanity is on the verge of shutting itself off from space travel for eons to come. https://flipboard.com/@spacecom/space.com-06o8ff5iz/-/a-CUrZyXOHTCm7lX3jscwK_A%3Aa%3A1693190246-%2F0

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  Follow-up to the below: Although no one has rebutted any of this reporting, Trump’s Department of Justice—now corrupted from top to bottom—sent Federal agents to the journalists’ homes with subpoenas alleging the commission of a crime—though no crime has been specified and no evidence shown. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/11/business/media/new-york-times-trump-subpoenas.html?unlocked_article_code=1.w1A.Hth8.NT4bASeUXUmR&smid=url-share https://mas.to/@gleick/116889486955022221

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  The story in a nutshell. 1. Qatar bribed Trump with a large aircraft. 2. Trump spent $400 million in taxpayer money to make it luxurious. 3. It is insecure for use as Air Force One. 4. He intends to keep it as his own when he leaves office. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/08/us/politics/trump-air-force-one-security.html?unlocked_article_code=1.wVA.p0tp.J3UTgl7i87OO&smid=url-share

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  Imagine if Biden or Obama had made 327 stock purchases in a single day and then, the next day, announced a policy change guaranteed to boost those stocks, while announcing “GREAT TIME TO BUY!!!” Any previous president would have been quickly impeached and convicted, by both parties. https://www.nbcnews.com/business/markets/trump-stock-trades-before-tariff-pause-rcna352723

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  1. Swallow the AI hype. 2. Fire your skilled humans. 3. Discover that the AI does inferior work. 4. Hire back the humans TO TRAIN THE AI. Coming soon: 5. Fire the humans again. 6. Discover that the AI does inferior work. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgrkd41n2v9o

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  Clearer headline: Trump Used Crypto Scam To Fleece His Investors (This is an example of the Opaque Passive voice. “Crypto” didn't do anything. Trump did.)

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  Free David Carter Hearn! Tim Walz: “Found an imaginary problem, said only they could fix it, didn’t listen to experts, hired buddies who grifted millions, failed miserably, bragged how great it went. The entire Trump presidency in a nutshell.” https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/20/us/politics/trump-reflecting-pool-drained.html?unlocked_article_code=1.r1A.ka1f.sE6-b1f-gS5N&smid=url-share

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  With unusual candor, Donald Trump admits that he has single-handedly brought us to the brink of a "worldwide depression.” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/17/trump-us-iran-war-mou-deal

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  This is (as the law mandates) the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. But there's a coverup: a petty little man is using tarps to block the name. He can't handle the truth.

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  @leemadgwick@mastodonapp.uk Happy Christmas.

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  I don't think this word means what you think it does.

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  Did the President of the United States really just announce, "NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!”? Yes. Yes, he did. We live in the dumbest possible timeline.

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  Yet another Trump co-conspirator, investigated by the FBI but never charged, gets a $1.25 million payout for nothing. His meritless lawsuit was repeatedly thrown out by the courts, but Trump has reached into the taxpayers' pockets and paid him anyway. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/22/us/politics/trump-settles-carter-page-lawsuit.html?unlocked_article_code=1.dFA.j-zU.TIu0h8YQC4J7&smid=url-share

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  Has anyone asked why the Army does "proficiency flight training" in the crowded landing corridor for National Airport?

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  It's almost as if Trump and his cabinet of dunces didn't think this thing through.

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  Is CBS destroying the Late Show with Stephen Colbert for financial reasons, as they claim? Or are they kowtowing to Trump and his billionaire friends. Let David Letterman explain: "I’m just going to go on record as saying: They’re lying. "Let me just add one other thing. They’re lying weasels.” https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/05/arts/television/david-letterman-stephen-colbert-the-late-show-cbs.html?unlocked_article_code=1.gFA.L0yr.rETxoElNudZv&smid=url-share

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  To understand the unbridled lawlessness of the American regime, it’s sometimes necessary to read the overseas press. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/02/trump-us-navy-pirates-iran-blockade?CMP=share_btn_url

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  And now, here is a “cover reveal” in People magazine. https://people.com/james-gleick-the-telephone-cover-reveal-exclusive-11960455

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  Fidelity becomes the latest spineless example of Obeying in Advance. We can all push back by donating to the SPLC. https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/29/business/fidelity-southern-poverty-law-center.html?unlocked_article_code=1.elA.pxps.lgGr0xScgt2O&smid=nytcore-ios-share

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  The war on science reaches a new level. https://www.science.org/content/article/trump-fires-nsf-s-oversight-board

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  1. Apologize to the people of Iran for the 1953 coup, the breaking of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and the 2026 war. 2. Commit the US to supporting democracy and self-determination henceforth. 3. Promise reparations and rebuilding. 4. Resign and surrender to the International Court of Justice.

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  No need to attribute this to Abbas Araghchi. A blockade is, in point of fact, an act of war. If its aim is to cause civilian suffering, it is also a war crime. (Cf. Cuba.)

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  #FensterFreitag

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  This is actually terrifying. The dictator establishing his Palace Guard. [from today’s Executive Order, h/t @heidilifeldman]

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  U.S. and Israeli weapons are precise enough to enable the assassination of Iranian leaders—yet they are targeting hospitals and schools, This is the beginning of what will surely be extensive documentation of war crimes. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2026/04/09/world/middleeast/us-israel-strikes-iran-structures-damage.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Z1A.jNTc.JZhppIRJ8_tY&smid=url-share

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  “Trump’s Escalating Erratic Conduct and Unhinged Threats of Mass Violence Require Urgent Assessment into POTUS’s Mental Fitness.” Rep. Jamie Raskin has formally demanded that the White House physician report to Congress on Trump’s cognitive and neurological condition. It deserves more attention. It states for the record what all can see: “We have indisputably entered the realm of profound medical difficulty and concern.” https://democrats-judiciary.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rankin...