Reading

Right now, you’re behind me, within reading distance on the freeway, at the stoplight, in the parking lot, maybe in the drive-thru line, or perhaps in my very own driveway (anywhere but a gas station, really), and I know what you’re thinking. But before you form another thought, you’re going to want to keep reading this five-hundred-word bumper sticker on my Tesla so you can fully understand why I am not a bad person.

First, you must know that I got this car before Elon went evil billionaire. I recognize that its being a 2023 Tesla Model S does complicate that message, but you must also know that the only thing I hate more than what he’s doing to the American people is me being perceived as the bad guy.

Before the last few months, Musk was only mean toward some people, and I hope you can understand that I and most people in my social circles were not among them. So when that suddenly changed for me this year, I was just as outraged as any of you, as evidenced by this five-hundred-word bumper sticker prominently placed on my Tesla.

Fascist Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir is set to appear on April 27 at the home of a Brooklyn businessman and Jewish power broker named Harry Adjmi, according to a private invitation.  Update: Jeremy Loffredo, a reporter for The Grayzone, was turned away from the Midwood, Brooklyn venue which hosted Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir on April 25. He witnessed a heavy security presence outside, with about 100 Shomrim, or volunteer Orthodox Jewish civilian patrolmen on […]

The post Ben Gvir to promote Gaza starvation plan at private Brooklyn ‘welcoming’ brunch first appeared on The Grayzone.

The post Ben Gvir to promote Gaza starvation plan at private Brooklyn ‘welcoming’ brunch appeared first on The Grayzone.

On Tucker Carlson’s show, a MAGA loyalist ripped the Defense Policy Board. In short order, Pete Hegseth purged all its members.

The post Hegseth Purges Defense Advisory Board After MAGA Came For It appeared first on The Intercept.

I was a goner, they said. Oh
well. Could’ve been worse.
Could’ve been born
before they dug up
all the words. & we’d just stand
around trying not to
explode. I wanted,
above all, & with no
regard for human life, to play my Atari
& be alone without ugliness.
I admit I liked people best when
they’re far away inside
me. Like on the phone
in the 90s. Could’ve
been worse. Could’ve
forgotten to invent scented markers
on purpose. The truth is, as
president, I was kind of a
walk-on. Most people hated
my guts. Others envied my
insane tallness. So I rubbed it in
by wearing the most obnoxious
hat ever made. I should’ve
worn it that night—but the war
was over &, like you, you bastard,
I was full of hope & liquid
dreams. Way back, before
the locomotive, I was actually
pretty, girlish even. But I aged 1,000 fucking years
in 3 winters just to show you
what it takes. To be the leader of endless
cannons. Asking fucked up
questions around fucked up
gentlemen. I was

Hey, everyone, I couldn’t help overhearing in this giant, nigh-deserted, echoey castle that you were doing an elaborate musical number where everyone was involved. Well, almost everyone. It seems like you forgot about me, the servant in this castle who was turned into a chamberpot.

Consider what you just sang:

Course by course, one by one,
Till you shout, “Enough, I’m done.”
Then we’ll sing you off to sleep as you digest…

Kind of the perfect opportunity for me to jump in there, no?

I can’t help but feel no one wanted me here. Why? Because there’s not a good way to clean me other than throwing my contents out the nearest window?

But I can sing! I can also handle a big number. Honestly, that’s a good description of my day-to-day. Sometimes it’s several big numbers. French food is heavy. Loads of bread.

The Beast behaves like a beast, eats like a beast, and courts women like a beast, but he insists upon using the bathroom like a gentleman. It’s the only thing that reminds him he was once a man.

Well, I, too, once was a man.

Feeling lonely in London, a young man sets out in search of new friends, and makes connections in some unlikely places

- A film by Hugh Clegg

Watch on Psyche

Reporters Matt Sledge and Jessica Washington discuss Trump’s growing crypto empire as he deregulates the industry.

The post Trump’s Very Stable Genius Coin appeared first on The Intercept.

- by Tim Bayne

Read at Aeon

At most, its oceans may contain biomass equivalent to a small dog

The post Why We Might Not Find Life on Titan appeared first on Nautilus.

New tech might help humans find others in need faster

The post AI-Powered Rescue Dogs appeared first on Nautilus.

Fearing retribution from Trump, major donors to progressive organizations are holding back at a time when they need it most.

The post Trump Doesn’t Need an Executive Order to Kill Progressive Nonprofits appeared first on The Intercept.

For a long time I thought the new world order would be a perverse mirror of the Cold War: two blocs facing off, periphery war, minimal trade between them (There was some trade, mostly in commodities.) The difference this time would be that the US was leading the weaker block, not the stronger.

Trump has made this very unlikely. His tariffs and threats have broken the unanimity of the alliance and vassal circle. The EU is in China right now seeking to cut a trade deal with the possible of end of many sanctions on the table. Canada’s presumptive PM has said the old order is dead. When China cut off US LNG who stepped into the gap? Australia and Canada. Even Japan, the most loyal of vassals, has noted that you can’t make a deal with Trump, because blackmailers always come back for more.

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