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marmar
marmar's Journal
marmar's Journal
October 13, 2025
We'd all be happy if we would just do what conservatives want us to.
More conservative fairy tales where reality ruins the plot
We'd all be happy if we would just do what conservatives want us to.
October 13, 2025
Pam Bondi is Trump’s mean girl
Imagine if Regina George grew up to cover up for a fascist
By Amanda Marcotte
Senior Writer
Published October 13, 2025 6:45AM (EDT)
(Salon) “Get in, loser. We’re hiding the Epstein files.”
Okay, okay — I can’t prove that’s what Attorney General Pam Bondi said to one of her fellow blonde aides that trailed her into last week’s Senate Judiciary Committee meeting. But her strategy appeared to be mimicking Regina George from 2004’s “Mean Girls” throughout the hearing. Like all Method actors, I assume she was in character before she even hit the stage. Can Rachel McAdams sue the attorney general for this half-baked theft of her iconic movie villain? The resemblance was too strong to be a coincidence: The ever-present sneer. The tantrums. The nasty personal insults. The petulant head motions. The embarrassingly effusive praise for men she’s using for power. She even brought a burn book.
Bondi’s resemblance to the blonde brat from millennial movie lore wasn’t just cringeworthy in a woman pushing 60. It also solves a mystery that’s persisted for months: Why President Donald Trump keeps Bondi around, despite her being MAGA’s favorite scapegoat for the administration’s growing pile of failures. To the screen-obsessed president, a stereotypical mean girl is ideal casting to be his enforcer.
....(snip)....
Trump himself is clearly feeling this pressure. On Sept. 20, he let loose a Truth Social post whining that Bondi “can’t delay any longer” in launching nuisance prosecutions against those who previously tried to hold him accountable for alleged crimes. Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that the post was, in fact, intended to be a private message, but it nevertheless served its purpose. Bondi subsequently installed Trump’s personal attorney, Lindsey Halligan, as interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. Since then, Halligan has been going down the list, indicting former FBI director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James on charges that seemed destined to be thrown out.
Bondi likely knows harassing innocent people isn’t quite enough to please her mercurial boss, thus her ridiculous performance in front of the Senate last Tuesday. Showing off her mean girl skills to Trump involved two adolescent tactics: Tantrums and insults. She was constantly feigning umbrage, often at the silliest moments. When Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said, “This is supposed to be an oversight hearing,” Bondi screeched, “Oversight!?” as if it was the dumbest word she’s ever heard. ..............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2025/10/13/pam-bondi-is-trumps-mean-girl/
Pam Bondi is Trump's mean girl
Pam Bondi is Trump’s mean girl
Imagine if Regina George grew up to cover up for a fascist
By Amanda Marcotte
Senior Writer
Published October 13, 2025 6:45AM (EDT)
(Salon) “Get in, loser. We’re hiding the Epstein files.”
Okay, okay — I can’t prove that’s what Attorney General Pam Bondi said to one of her fellow blonde aides that trailed her into last week’s Senate Judiciary Committee meeting. But her strategy appeared to be mimicking Regina George from 2004’s “Mean Girls” throughout the hearing. Like all Method actors, I assume she was in character before she even hit the stage. Can Rachel McAdams sue the attorney general for this half-baked theft of her iconic movie villain? The resemblance was too strong to be a coincidence: The ever-present sneer. The tantrums. The nasty personal insults. The petulant head motions. The embarrassingly effusive praise for men she’s using for power. She even brought a burn book.
Bondi’s resemblance to the blonde brat from millennial movie lore wasn’t just cringeworthy in a woman pushing 60. It also solves a mystery that’s persisted for months: Why President Donald Trump keeps Bondi around, despite her being MAGA’s favorite scapegoat for the administration’s growing pile of failures. To the screen-obsessed president, a stereotypical mean girl is ideal casting to be his enforcer.
....(snip)....
Trump himself is clearly feeling this pressure. On Sept. 20, he let loose a Truth Social post whining that Bondi “can’t delay any longer” in launching nuisance prosecutions against those who previously tried to hold him accountable for alleged crimes. Last week, the Wall Street Journal reported that the post was, in fact, intended to be a private message, but it nevertheless served its purpose. Bondi subsequently installed Trump’s personal attorney, Lindsey Halligan, as interim U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. Since then, Halligan has been going down the list, indicting former FBI director James Comey and New York Attorney General Letitia James on charges that seemed destined to be thrown out.
Bondi likely knows harassing innocent people isn’t quite enough to please her mercurial boss, thus her ridiculous performance in front of the Senate last Tuesday. Showing off her mean girl skills to Trump involved two adolescent tactics: Tantrums and insults. She was constantly feigning umbrage, often at the silliest moments. When Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., said, “This is supposed to be an oversight hearing,” Bondi screeched, “Oversight!?” as if it was the dumbest word she’s ever heard. ..............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2025/10/13/pam-bondi-is-trumps-mean-girl/
October 12, 2025
At the 2025 Panamerican Congress in Mexico City, held August 1st to 3rd, hosted by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and her Morena Parliamentary Group, Canadian journalist Naomi Klein gave remarks at the Esperanza Iris theatre.
The author of 'The Shock Doctrine,' 'No Logo,' and most recently the memoir 'Doppelganger,' presented remarks to delegations at the Panamerican Congress, an annual conference of progressive legislators from Nunavut to Tierra del Fuego, entitled: 'The Rise of End-of-the-World Fascism and Resistance from the Global South.'
Naomi Klein: The Rise of End-of-the-World Fascism and Resistance from the Global South
At the 2025 Panamerican Congress in Mexico City, held August 1st to 3rd, hosted by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum and her Morena Parliamentary Group, Canadian journalist Naomi Klein gave remarks at the Esperanza Iris theatre.
The author of 'The Shock Doctrine,' 'No Logo,' and most recently the memoir 'Doppelganger,' presented remarks to delegations at the Panamerican Congress, an annual conference of progressive legislators from Nunavut to Tierra del Fuego, entitled: 'The Rise of End-of-the-World Fascism and Resistance from the Global South.'
October 12, 2025
A video in which Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem blames congressional Democrats for travel delays during the federal government shutdown is expected to play at airport security checkpoints across the country — but not at PDX.
The Port of Portland, which operates Portland International Airport, said it has declined to display the video, saying it could violate state and federal laws that prohibit using public assets and employees to disseminate an explicitly partisan message.
Video messages at Transportation Security Administration checkpoints often include greetings from officials, assurances of security and speed, and instructions for what to remove from bags and place in bins.
In the video, Noem quickly pivots from such assurances to assigning blame for the federal government shutdown to Democratic lawmakers. ..................(more)
https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2025/10/kristi-noem-video-blaming-democrats-for-shutdown-delays-wont-play-at-pdx-security-checkpoints.html
Kristi Noem video blaming Democrats for shutdown delays won't play at PDX (Portland) security checkpoints
A video in which Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem blames congressional Democrats for travel delays during the federal government shutdown is expected to play at airport security checkpoints across the country — but not at PDX.
The Port of Portland, which operates Portland International Airport, said it has declined to display the video, saying it could violate state and federal laws that prohibit using public assets and employees to disseminate an explicitly partisan message.
Video messages at Transportation Security Administration checkpoints often include greetings from officials, assurances of security and speed, and instructions for what to remove from bags and place in bins.
In the video, Noem quickly pivots from such assurances to assigning blame for the federal government shutdown to Democratic lawmakers. ..................(more)
https://www.oregonlive.com/politics/2025/10/kristi-noem-video-blaming-democrats-for-shutdown-delays-wont-play-at-pdx-security-checkpoints.html
October 12, 2025
Minutes before 9 a.m. on Oct. 1, Catherine O'Gara's morning was overwhelmed by two sounds: Loud knocks on the door of her Pinellas County home, and the barking from her Australian shepherd, Red.
Of all reasons to open the door, she didn't expect two armed police officers. They were looking, it turns out, for her husband James.
It was all over a postcard that said only, "YOU LACK VALUES," in the ink of a large black marker. The recipient? Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia.
The officers said: " 'Hey listen, don't worry. There's nothing wrong. It's OK,' " she told the USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida. The 69-year-old Largo resident told them they would not be allowed inside the house, then she turned to get her husband. ...................................(more)
https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/local/state/2025/10/10/police-visit-over-postcard-to-florida-cfo-alarms-free-speech-experts/86601276007/
Police visit over 'You lack values' postcard sparks First Amendment debate
Minutes before 9 a.m. on Oct. 1, Catherine O'Gara's morning was overwhelmed by two sounds: Loud knocks on the door of her Pinellas County home, and the barking from her Australian shepherd, Red.
Of all reasons to open the door, she didn't expect two armed police officers. They were looking, it turns out, for her husband James.
It was all over a postcard that said only, "YOU LACK VALUES," in the ink of a large black marker. The recipient? Florida Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia.
The officers said: " 'Hey listen, don't worry. There's nothing wrong. It's OK,' " she told the USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida. The 69-year-old Largo resident told them they would not be allowed inside the house, then she turned to get her husband. ...................................(more)
https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/local/state/2025/10/10/police-visit-over-postcard-to-florida-cfo-alarms-free-speech-experts/86601276007/
October 12, 2025
Supreme Court ruling could let GOP add 19 House seats and “clear the path for a one-party system”
Supreme Court case could wipe out all Democratic-held seats in some deep-red Southern states
By Blaise Malley
National Affairs Fellow
Published October 8, 2025 1:40PM (EDT)
(Salon) As the Supreme Court prepares to rehear Louisiana v. Callais on October 15, Democratic voting rights groups are sounding the alarm: in a new report reviewed by Politico, Fair Fight Action and Black Voters Matter Fund warn that scrapping Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act could enable Republicans to redraw up to 19 House seats in their favor.
“While a ruling in time for next year’s midterms is unlikely, the organizations behind the report said that it’s not out of the question. Taken together, the groups identified 27 total seats that Republicans could redistrict in their favor ahead of the midterms — 19 of which stem from Section 2 being overturned,” Politico reports.
“Doing so would ‘clear the path for a one-party system where power serves the powerful and silences the people,” Black Voters Matter Fund co-founder LaTosha Brown said in a statement.
The report warns that as many as 30% of Congressional Black Caucus seats and 11% of Congressional Hispanic Caucus seats could be redrawn out of existence. ..........................(more)
https://www.salon.com/2025/10/08/supreme-court-ruling-could-let-gop-add-19-house-seats-and-clear-the-path-for-a-one-party-system/
Supreme Court ruling could let GOP add 19 House seats and "clear the path for a one-party system"
Supreme Court ruling could let GOP add 19 House seats and “clear the path for a one-party system”
Supreme Court case could wipe out all Democratic-held seats in some deep-red Southern states
By Blaise Malley
National Affairs Fellow
Published October 8, 2025 1:40PM (EDT)
(Salon) As the Supreme Court prepares to rehear Louisiana v. Callais on October 15, Democratic voting rights groups are sounding the alarm: in a new report reviewed by Politico, Fair Fight Action and Black Voters Matter Fund warn that scrapping Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act could enable Republicans to redraw up to 19 House seats in their favor.
“While a ruling in time for next year’s midterms is unlikely, the organizations behind the report said that it’s not out of the question. Taken together, the groups identified 27 total seats that Republicans could redistrict in their favor ahead of the midterms — 19 of which stem from Section 2 being overturned,” Politico reports.
“Doing so would ‘clear the path for a one-party system where power serves the powerful and silences the people,” Black Voters Matter Fund co-founder LaTosha Brown said in a statement.
The report warns that as many as 30% of Congressional Black Caucus seats and 11% of Congressional Hispanic Caucus seats could be redrawn out of existence. ..........................(more)
https://www.salon.com/2025/10/08/supreme-court-ruling-could-let-gop-add-19-house-seats-and-clear-the-path-for-a-one-party-system/
October 12, 2025
Pope Leo takes aim at MAGA’s false gospel
The American Pope is confirming MAGA's worst fears
By Sophia Tesfaye
Senior Writer
Published October 12, 2025 9:00AM (EDT)
(Salon) Even though Pope Leo XIV, the first-ever U.S.-born pontiff, was labeled the “woke pope” soon after he was chosen in May by cardinals to succeed the late Pope Francis, conservatives in the U.S. reportedly held out hope the new pope would abandon the progressivism of his outspoken predecessor. Now, five months into his tenure, the Chicago-born leader of the Catholic Church has angered MAGA-aligned conservatives on multiple fronts, including escalating his pointed criticisms of the Trump administration as it ramps up deportation operations.
“The fact that I am American means, among other things, people can’t say, like they did about Francis, ‘he doesn’t understand the United States, he just doesn’t see what’s going on,’” Leo said in a recent interview. Born Robert Francis Prevost on Chicago’s South Side, the pope reportedly voted in several Republican primaries. But an X account under his name, with tweets going as far back as 2015, previously shared links criticizing Trump’s approach to immigration and hinting at other political views, such as stricter gun control laws. “Do you not see the suffering? Is your conscience not disturbed?” he apparently posted in 2024, criticizing Trump’s meeting with El Salvador President Nayib Bukele about deportation collaboration. In recent weeks, Leo has started to aim his criticisms directly at Trump’s regime, like the more aggressive posture sought by Secretary Pete Hegseth. “This wording, like going from minister of defense to minister of war — let’s hope it’s just a figure of speech,” he recently said in Italian.
....(snip)....
He got more specific in his Oct. 5 homily during the Holy Mass for the Jubilee of the Missions and of Migrants. Leo told a crowd of more than 10,000 people gathered in front of St. Peter’s Basilica that “in the communities of ancient Christian tradition, such as those of the West, the presence of many brothers and sisters from the world’s South should be welcomed as an opportunity, through an exchange that renews the face of the Church and sustains a Christianity that is more open, more alive and more dynamic.” He followed the sermon with a post on X that same day: “No one should be forced to flee, nor exploited or mistreated because of their situation as foreigners or people in need! Human dignity must always come first!”
....(snip)....
In an “Apostolic Exhortation” titled “Dilexi te” — which translates to “I have loved you” — the 40-page text, the pope said, was first started by Francis, but is ultimately his work. With its focus on what he labeled a “dictatorship” of wealth inequality, the document was seen by some on the right as confirmation of Leo’s condemnation of American conservatism.
“God has a special place in his heart for those who are discriminated against and oppressed, and he asks us, his church, to make a decisive and radical choice in favor of the weakest,” Leo wrote. “Thus, in a world where the poor are increasingly numerous, we paradoxically see the growth of a wealthy elite, living in a bubble of comfort and luxury, almost in another world compared to ordinary people.” ..................(more)
https://www.salon.com/2025/10/12/pope-leo-takes-aim-at-magas-false-gospel/
Pope Leo takes aim at MAGA's false gospel
Pope Leo takes aim at MAGA’s false gospel
The American Pope is confirming MAGA's worst fears
By Sophia Tesfaye
Senior Writer
Published October 12, 2025 9:00AM (EDT)
(Salon) Even though Pope Leo XIV, the first-ever U.S.-born pontiff, was labeled the “woke pope” soon after he was chosen in May by cardinals to succeed the late Pope Francis, conservatives in the U.S. reportedly held out hope the new pope would abandon the progressivism of his outspoken predecessor. Now, five months into his tenure, the Chicago-born leader of the Catholic Church has angered MAGA-aligned conservatives on multiple fronts, including escalating his pointed criticisms of the Trump administration as it ramps up deportation operations.
“The fact that I am American means, among other things, people can’t say, like they did about Francis, ‘he doesn’t understand the United States, he just doesn’t see what’s going on,’” Leo said in a recent interview. Born Robert Francis Prevost on Chicago’s South Side, the pope reportedly voted in several Republican primaries. But an X account under his name, with tweets going as far back as 2015, previously shared links criticizing Trump’s approach to immigration and hinting at other political views, such as stricter gun control laws. “Do you not see the suffering? Is your conscience not disturbed?” he apparently posted in 2024, criticizing Trump’s meeting with El Salvador President Nayib Bukele about deportation collaboration. In recent weeks, Leo has started to aim his criticisms directly at Trump’s regime, like the more aggressive posture sought by Secretary Pete Hegseth. “This wording, like going from minister of defense to minister of war — let’s hope it’s just a figure of speech,” he recently said in Italian.
....(snip)....
He got more specific in his Oct. 5 homily during the Holy Mass for the Jubilee of the Missions and of Migrants. Leo told a crowd of more than 10,000 people gathered in front of St. Peter’s Basilica that “in the communities of ancient Christian tradition, such as those of the West, the presence of many brothers and sisters from the world’s South should be welcomed as an opportunity, through an exchange that renews the face of the Church and sustains a Christianity that is more open, more alive and more dynamic.” He followed the sermon with a post on X that same day: “No one should be forced to flee, nor exploited or mistreated because of their situation as foreigners or people in need! Human dignity must always come first!”
....(snip)....
In an “Apostolic Exhortation” titled “Dilexi te” — which translates to “I have loved you” — the 40-page text, the pope said, was first started by Francis, but is ultimately his work. With its focus on what he labeled a “dictatorship” of wealth inequality, the document was seen by some on the right as confirmation of Leo’s condemnation of American conservatism.
“God has a special place in his heart for those who are discriminated against and oppressed, and he asks us, his church, to make a decisive and radical choice in favor of the weakest,” Leo wrote. “Thus, in a world where the poor are increasingly numerous, we paradoxically see the growth of a wealthy elite, living in a bubble of comfort and luxury, almost in another world compared to ordinary people.” ..................(more)
https://www.salon.com/2025/10/12/pope-leo-takes-aim-at-magas-false-gospel/
October 11, 2025
The Secret to Vancouver’s Public Transit Ridership Recovery
The Canadian city’s transit agency, TransLink, bounced back from Covid even as other North American systems have struggled. Its leader explains why riders returned.
By David Zipper
October 9, 2025 at 9:00 AM EDT
(Bloomberg CityLab) Across North America, transit agencies have struggled to match the passenger counts they posted prior to Covid, in large part due to an enduring uptick in working from home. Some major systems, such as those in the Bay Area and Atlanta, are still moving only around half as many riders as they did before the pandemic struck. (In Europe and Asia, in contrast, some systems are hitting new ridership highs.)
By North American standards, Vancouver’s regional transit system, known as TransLink, is a success story, now moving around 90% as many people as in 2019. According to the American Public Transportation Association, TransLink has recovered ridership faster than almost any other major transit system on the continent (Washington, DC’s WMATA is another standout). Metro Vancouver recently pulled ahead of Toronto to post the second-most transit trips per capita in Canada, behind only Montreal.
The city has a few aces up its sleeve when it comes to supporting transit: Regional land-use policy has long promoted dense development as a way to preserve open space, and many residents can zip to their destination aboard the SkyTrain, a 54-station network of automated trains on mostly elevated lines.
Vancouver also has some of North America’s most expensive housing — an issue intertwined with its transit infrastructure, as new condos built around Skytrain stations have been blamed for displacement in some areas. ................(more)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-10-09/how-vancouver-s-translink-escaped-the-public-transit-death-spiral
The Secret to Vancouver's Public Transit Ridership Recovery
The Secret to Vancouver’s Public Transit Ridership Recovery
The Canadian city’s transit agency, TransLink, bounced back from Covid even as other North American systems have struggled. Its leader explains why riders returned.
By David Zipper
October 9, 2025 at 9:00 AM EDT
(Bloomberg CityLab) Across North America, transit agencies have struggled to match the passenger counts they posted prior to Covid, in large part due to an enduring uptick in working from home. Some major systems, such as those in the Bay Area and Atlanta, are still moving only around half as many riders as they did before the pandemic struck. (In Europe and Asia, in contrast, some systems are hitting new ridership highs.)
By North American standards, Vancouver’s regional transit system, known as TransLink, is a success story, now moving around 90% as many people as in 2019. According to the American Public Transportation Association, TransLink has recovered ridership faster than almost any other major transit system on the continent (Washington, DC’s WMATA is another standout). Metro Vancouver recently pulled ahead of Toronto to post the second-most transit trips per capita in Canada, behind only Montreal.
The city has a few aces up its sleeve when it comes to supporting transit: Regional land-use policy has long promoted dense development as a way to preserve open space, and many residents can zip to their destination aboard the SkyTrain, a 54-station network of automated trains on mostly elevated lines.
Vancouver also has some of North America’s most expensive housing — an issue intertwined with its transit infrastructure, as new condos built around Skytrain stations have been blamed for displacement in some areas. ................(more)
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-10-09/how-vancouver-s-translink-escaped-the-public-transit-death-spiral
October 11, 2025
he Department of Health and Human Services recently cut $500 million in mRNA research funding. “mRNA technology poses more risks than benefits,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a statement, claiming that the department’s experts had “reviewed the science, listened to the experts, and acted.”
This is just the latest blow in the agency’s misguided efforts to wind down mRNA vaccine development. In May, HSS terminated Moderna’s contract for an mRNA-based bird flu vaccine that was awarded in 2024 by former President Joe Biden’s administration. The reason? HHS deemed that “continued investment” was not “justifiable.”
That’s an absurd conclusion. Earlier this year, Moderna announced that its experimental vaccine for bird flu — a disease that has already sickened dozens of Americans and could infect millions if it mutates further — showed enormous promise during an initial clinical trial. The company was prepared to begin late-stage development immediately, with the help of $766 million in existing government contracts.
HHS’s move to cancel this contract is pitifully illogical. Bird flu has already cost America billions — and if it mutates to allow for human-to-human transmission, the cost could soar into the hundreds of billions or even trillions of dollars. ...............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2025/10/11/rfk-jr-s-attack-on-mrna-vaccines-will-cost-lives/
Howard Dean: RFK Jr.'s attack on mRNA vaccines will cost lives
he Department of Health and Human Services recently cut $500 million in mRNA research funding. “mRNA technology poses more risks than benefits,” HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in a statement, claiming that the department’s experts had “reviewed the science, listened to the experts, and acted.”
This is just the latest blow in the agency’s misguided efforts to wind down mRNA vaccine development. In May, HSS terminated Moderna’s contract for an mRNA-based bird flu vaccine that was awarded in 2024 by former President Joe Biden’s administration. The reason? HHS deemed that “continued investment” was not “justifiable.”
That’s an absurd conclusion. Earlier this year, Moderna announced that its experimental vaccine for bird flu — a disease that has already sickened dozens of Americans and could infect millions if it mutates further — showed enormous promise during an initial clinical trial. The company was prepared to begin late-stage development immediately, with the help of $766 million in existing government contracts.
HHS’s move to cancel this contract is pitifully illogical. Bird flu has already cost America billions — and if it mutates to allow for human-to-human transmission, the cost could soar into the hundreds of billions or even trillions of dollars. ...............(more)
https://www.salon.com/2025/10/11/rfk-jr-s-attack-on-mrna-vaccines-will-cost-lives/
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