Politikexperten merken angesichts des Irankriegs an, die USA hätten keinen Plan B, aber das setzt voraus, dass sie jemals einen Plan A gehabt hätten.

It’s that time of the year again where I sit on the front porch with coffee in the morning enjoying the fragrant air and the buzzing bees. Moments of quiet joy before I inevitably make the mistake of looking at the news …

I'm so incredibly frustrated with media, especially US news media, right now. Most of them are failing their readers in so many ways instead of speaking truth to power and informing us. But some are thriving in unexpected ways and that gives me hope - looking at you @theonion.com and @wired.com!

Ben Collins@bencollins.bsky.social · 4mo ago

Eat shit, lol, and long live The Onion.

I’m in the airport lounge in Frankfurt getting some water. The guy next to me looks frustrated and says: “Why do Germans hate ICE?” I take a deep breath and give him a 30-second version of German history in the 20th century. He looks horrified: “What? NO! I meant ice in your drinks!” 🤣

I usually get asked a lot of questions about the situation in the US when I’m in Germany. But it hits different when you have coffee with your in-law grandma, a Holocaust survivor, and she says: “What is your plan? This is not 1933 anymore, it feels more like ‘38. Don’t wait too long.”

I count 10 cities in 2025 that are on track to have the fewest murders since at least 1970. Newark is on pace to have the fewest murders since 1956 (though only have data through Oct this year) and San Francisco is on pace to have the fewest murders since 1942.

My father’s first principle is punctuality and he is terrified of being late for Christmas services and possibly having to stand in the back. So every year we walk into a completely empty church one full hour early. My mom brings cookies and a flask with brandy. Merry Christmas everyone!

We walk into the big hall (former barn) where the family is decorating the Christmas tree. My mom says in lieu of a greeting: “Did you find Jesus?” My Jewish husband is particularly confused. “Nope.” - “I think the dog might have snatched him then.” Christmas truly is merry in this house.

My US doctor prescribed a cream. My very costly #health #insurance doesn’t want to pay for it. The cost without insurance is an astounding $1,042.99 🫣 But I can get it in Germany for EUR 31,50. The exact same product. Xmas travel almost pays for itself 🤦🏻‍♀️

Any other farm kids here whose parents have #homemade #jam from 1978 stored in the basement? And of course it’s still edible 🤣

It's Sunday night and we're sitting at the dining table writing Xmas cards. Many many cards. My husband drafts each text on his computer. I just whip out my pen and write. He stares at me in awe: "I married a freak who rawdogs Christmas cards. My life is wild" 🤣

Folks, if you meet someone who has some kind of chronic disease, please do not tell them about how amazing your daily dose of colostrum makes you feel or how great cold plunges are. And do not dare to ask them if the vaccine caused this. Fate will not treat you kindly, neither will your sick friend.

Vaccinations done. Flu. Covid. RSV. Protect yourself and protect your community. Stay safe out there. #healthcare #vaccines

I like Halloween decor and I like vaccinations. But combining the Halloween skeleton with your vaccine advertising might not be the best service to public health in a country ruled by "vaccine skeptics".

Maybe he should get out more instead of just checking the covenant eyes app on his son's phone.

The Oregonian@oregonian.com · 10mo ago

U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson calls Sunday's naked bike ride in protest of the Portland ICE facility and and Trump troop deployment "the most threatening thing I’ve seen yet" www.oregonlive.com/portland/202...

Wow. The EU was ready to sanction Google for abusing its ad monopoly today. But it was blocked after pressure from EU Trade Commissioner @marossefcovic.bsky.social & the U.S. DoJ. Europe just chose Washington’s corporate interests over its own citizens. Unprecedented. Self-inflicted.

Imagine being so scared of gay people that you need to declare water soluble chalk art on public roads a felony. What a sad existence. www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...

Judge Dismisses Florida Arrest Over Rainbow Chalk Art Near Pulse Nightclub

Ron DeSantis’ transportation department banned chalk art on roads and painted over a memorial to victims of the Orlando LGBTQ nightclub shooting.

rollingstone.com

You cannot possibly make this stuff up … www.nytimes.com/2025/08/19/r...

The social media accounts for federal law enforcement agencies keep posting the exact kinds of things you'd report to federal law enforcement agencies if a normal citizen posted them.

Mel Buer@melbuer.bsky.social · 12mo ago

Man what the hell is this

In the worst phase of jet lag right now. Stumbling around like a zombie after barely 3 hours of sleep. If I encounter one more person telling me “just go back to bed and keep trying some more” … you might read about it in the paper tomorrow. 😤

1. Federal funding for research promotes tech, biomedical, and scientific discovery in the US, and provides training for the sci/tech workforce that has brought immeasurable wealth to the US over the past 75 years. Today's executive order includes a provision that will obliterate both functions.

Improving Oversight of Federal Grantmaking

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and to improve the process of Federal

whitehouse.gov

First DC Tesler diner opening next week.

George Conway ⚖️🇺🇸@gtconway.bsky.social · 12mo ago

I have never lived in another country where the perception of crime and the reality of crime are so far apart. Sadly media has to shoulder a lot of the responsibility alongside reckless politicians whose main campaign strategy is scaring people senseless.

Judd Legum@juddlegum.bsky.social · 12mo ago

5. This does a real disservice to readers. A recent Gallup poll revealed that 64% of Americans believe that crime INCREASED across the country in 2024. In reality crime "was down in all seven categories of crime across all 10 population groups that the FBI measures."

1. This week, the FBI released its comprehensive crime report for 2024, which revealed that both VIOLENT CRIME and PROPERTY CRIME reached their LOWEST LEVELS SINCE THE 1960s This a massive story. But you might not have heard about it, even if you follow the news closely. Here's why.

Why you might not know that 2024 was America's safest year since the 1960s

An overwhelming majority of Americans, 64 percent, believe that crime increased across the country in 2024, according to a Gallup survey conducted late last year.

popular.info

The sun delivers more energy to the Earth in one hour than all of humanity consumes in a whole year. In 2024, solar power alone accounted for over 60% of all new electricity generation in the United States. Yet the Trump Administration is moving to defund the fastest-growing source of electricity.

Likely? What are you even doing AP?

The Associated Press@apnews.com · 12mo ago

BREAKING: Trump says he plans to put a 100% tariff on computer chips, likely increasing the costs of electronics.

This definitely gives off major “very late stage Roman Empire” vibes. Unbelievable. #JDVance www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

JD Vance’s team had water level of Ohio river raised for family’s boating trip

Exclusive: Incident raises questions of exploitation of public services, but Secret Service says it was requested for ‘safe navigation’

theguardian.com

we didn't get an end of history so much as a private equity leveraged buyout of history that resulted in drastic costs cutting on the core product

David_j_roth@davidjroth.bsky.social · last yr.

As end-of-empire scenarios go it is so much more dignified to get your capital city sacked by the Visigoths than to have a bunch of illiterate rich people in their 70s doing it through a series of incomprehensible tantrums because their brains were defeated by their phones.

Americans love technology and absolutely hate science and that’ll always be fucking confusing to me

Jen Bendery@jbendery.bsky.social · last yr.

"The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced the beginning of a coordinated wind-down of its mRNA vaccine development activities...." cc: Sen. Bill Cassidy