as noted yesterday, Trump has now come around to treating an Iranian toll system covering the Strait of Hormuz as a given. Hard to overstate the level of strategic failure. US started the war purely as a war of choice and ends up dramatically empowering Iran and given the Iranian govt big wins.

Bill Grueskin@bgrueskin.bsky.social · 6h ago

Reuters: Iran wants fees of 5%-7% of the price of cargo from ships using the strait; Oman wants 3%. "Making fees voluntary, at least nominally, could be a way out of the impasse, although an implied threat of Iranian attacks could mean shippers would be ​unlikely to risk transit without paying."

I didn't set out to experience all things Classen in Oklahoma City during a Route 66 road trip, but once I saw a minor theme emerging, I had to go with it: perceptivetravel.com/blog/2026/07... #TravelSky #TravelTuesday

Classen Maxxing on Route 66 in Oklahoma City

I didn't set out to experience all things Classen Oklahoma City during a Route 66 road trip, but once I saw a minor theme emerging, I had to go with it.

perceptivetravel.com

James was my Texas House Rep. in Round Rock, north of Austin. The R's underestimate him at their peril.

MaddowBlog@maddowblog.bsky.social · 2d ago

James Talarico tells Rachel Maddow that if Democrats win the Senate seat he is running for, "I think we can build the political will to restore the Voting Rights Act." Watch:

If that’s what she needed to do to keep your reptilian hands off of her baby, yes. That’s EXACTLY what she would do, because her family clearly did NOT have her back. Battered women will do all kinds of things trying to keep the peace. Fuck this dude, and her crazy hateful family. Poor thing.

Ron Filipkowski@ronfilipkowski.bsky.social · 3d ago

Anyone who has worked with domestic violence victims know the answer to this is too often yes.

Husband or boyfriend who asks his partner "who told you that" when she accuses him of cheating instead of "I didn't do that"

Eric Blair@protecttruth.bsky.social · 3d ago

I once had a longtime criminal defense attorney tell me he felt guilty people often said “there’s no way this could have happened because of X, Y and Z,” instead of ”this did not happen because I did not do it.”

If you haven't been to DC lately, the new gilded statues look really, really, really fucking tacky

Rep. Melanie Stansbury (NM-01)@repstansbury.bsky.social · 5d ago

While you were over here trying to figure out how you were going to cover the rent and food—this guy was over there using $5.1 million in taxpayer money YOU paid into the system to cover these statues in 23 karat gold. Yeah, he did that.

The Meadow Gold District in Tulsa OK is a way to see a lot of Route 66 nostalgia in one place, including Muffler Men statues, neon, and a nearby Musical Road that plays Woody Guthrie when you drive over it: perceptivetravel.com/blog/2026/07...

Land of Giants and Neon: Meadow Gold District on Route 66 in Tulsa

The Meadow Gold District in Tulsa OK is a way to see a lot of Route 66 nostalgia in one place, including Muffler Men statues, neon, and a nearby Musical Road.

perceptivetravel.com

The Fall of Troy (1911) contains one of cinema's first depictions of the story of the Trojan Horse

"Tests that went awry . . ." JFC 🙄😬

Bloomberg News@bloomberg.com · 6d ago

BREAKING: Anthropic announced that its artificial intelligence models had breached three different organizations during cybersecurity tests that went awry, a little more than a week after its chief rival, OpenAI, disclosed a similar incident.

I didn't set out to experience all things Classen in Oklahoma City during a Route 66 road trip, but once I saw a minor theme emerging, I had to go with it: perceptivetravel.com/blog/2026/07...

Classen Maxxing on Route 66 in Oklahoma City

I didn't set out to experience all things Classen Oklahoma City during a Route 66 road trip, but once I saw a minor theme emerging, I had to go with it.

perceptivetravel.com

This was intentional. First drones, now missiles. Russia is gauging NATO’s (specifically the US) response to these violations. Every time they strike far Western Ukraine, they get data on Polish operating procedures - alerts, jets scrambled, communications with allies, etc.

Gen AI art looks so much the same, I'm starting to have a visceral reaction to it, that same shudder when I'm faced with food that I really don't like. On the plus side, my delight at the handmade and weird has grown ten fold.

Joumana Medlej@majnouna.com · 6d ago

That day when I was looking through a 14th-century romance. First impression: That's not a very good stag, is it... Closer look: OMG LOOOOOL #medievalmanuscripts

No notes! 🤣

Will Bunch@willbunch.bsky.social · 7d ago

I guess Blanche can't depend upon the kindness of strangers

So sad. Just yesterday my husband and I saw some of the art that he and his wife Dolores collected, now at Austin's MACC (Mexican American Cultural Center) downtown. 😪

Michael Barnes@indelibleaustin.bsky.social · last wk.

Gilberto Cárdenas, Chicano movement leader and Latino art champion, dies at 79 www.statesman.com/news/article...

One of the charming small towns found all over the Texas Hill Country, Marble Falls has good eats and plenty to do. Here's a one day itinerary: perceptivetravel.com/blog/2026/01... #TravelTuesday #TravelSky #RoadTrip

A Texas Hill Country Day Out in Marble Falls

One of the charming small towns found all over the Texas Hill Country, Marble Falls has good eats and plenty to do. Here's a one day itinerary.

perceptivetravel.com

The Meadow Gold District in Tulsa OK is a way to see a lot of Route 66 nostalgia in one place, including Muffler Men statues, neon, and a nearby Musical Road. On @perceptivetravel.bsky.social perceptivetravel.com/blog/2026/07... #TravelSky #TravelTuesday

Land of Giants and Neon: Meadow Gold District on Route 66 in Tulsa

The Meadow Gold District in Tulsa OK is a way to see a lot of Route 66 nostalgia in one place, including Muffler Men statues, neon, and a nearby Musical Road.

perceptivetravel.com

There are lots of Americans who voted for this bullshit artist not once, not twice, but THREE times. 🤷‍♀️

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · last wk.

Trump: "We will pass the great healthcare plan. That's what it's called. The great healthcare plan."

We actually had the 16th highest mortality rate in the world and it largely resulted from the ignorant asshats who were *resisting* the common sense protection measures Fauci was promoting like masking and distancing. What a colossal asshole.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · last wk.

RFK Jr: "Because of Dr Fauci's leadership and other reasons, we had the highest mortality rate from covid of any country in the world" #OtherReasons 🙃

I keep thinking about how often the mass layoffs in media, government and big companies, especially women and people of color, will lead to poorer outcomes for years because the people who would point out potential problems or blind spots were deemed non-essential, a "bad fit", and/or too expensive.

A gift link to an @theatlantic.com article on the warning signs the White House wants to erect outside one of the most beloved museums in America, warning people away www.theatlantic.com/culture/2026...

Trump’s Trigger Warnings

The president is ordering new signs outside the Smithsonian to warn Americans about history.

theatlantic.com

Anne Applebaum@anneapplebaum.wsocial.eu · 2w ago

This is an outrageous attack on the Smithsonian, on the professionals who work there and the Americans who love it. Like the Bolsheviks deliberately destroying churches www.washingtonpost.com/style/2026/0...

“A Penn professor thought she’d sell 1000 copies of her ‘Odyssey’ translation. She sold a million this year alone, thanks to Christopher Nolan.” “West Philly's Emily Wilson, who penned a highly acclaimed translation of the epic poem in 2017, is having a big summer.”

A Penn professor thought she’d sell 1000 copies of her ‘Odyssey’ translation. She sold a million this year alone, thanks to Christopher Nolan.

West Philly's Emily Wilson, who penned a highly acclaimed translation of the epic poem in 2017, is having a big summer.

share.inquirer.com

Since Trump is demanding warning signs outside the Smithsonian Museum of American History, I suggest this one.

Can we NOT right now . . .

The Washington Post@washingtonpost.com · 2w ago

Mali’s government acknowledged a report indicating that the Trump administration is weighing military action against an al-Qaeda-affiliated group in the West African country, saying any nation that works with Mali “must respect” its sovereignty.

The term fly-in restaurants doesn't mean you need a pilot's license to eat there. It just means great places to dine at smaller airports. Here are 3 examples: perceptivetravel.com/blog/2026/06...

Fly-In Restaurants: 3 Airport Diners You Should Try

The term fly-in restaurants doesn't mean you need a pilot's license to eat there. It just means great places to dine at smaller airports. Here are 3 examples.

perceptivetravel.com

The famous, delicious Round Rock Donuts are yeast-based and have a distinctive color. Get them right out of the oven at the Lone Star Bakery in downtown Round Rock, just north of Austin, Texas: perceptivetravel.com/blog/2025/10...

A Hole Lot of Goodness: Round Rock Donuts

The famous, delicious Round Rock Donuts are yeast-based and have a distinctive color. Get them right out of the oven at the Lone Star Bakery in Round Rock, just north of Austin, Texas.

perceptivetravel.com

Achieving Dad levels that our best minds considered impossible

for me it's either "google it" or "let's fucking fact-check this, and not with AI"

Mark Harris@markharris.bsky.social · 2w ago

I'm actually fine with sounding old.

About 20,000 people were evacuated from towns and vacation resorts along France’s Atlantic coast as wildfires raged Thursday. Hundreds of firefighters were deployed to battle the flames.