Drug trafficking is not a capital crime; it doesn’t carry a death sentence. I genuinely cannot think of anything under U.S. law that would permit premeditated government assassination of people suspected of drug trafficking.
Journalist in upstate NY.
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Drug trafficking is not a capital crime; it doesn’t carry a death sentence. I genuinely cannot think of anything under U.S. law that would permit premeditated government assassination of people suspected of drug trafficking.
The Trump admin dumped half a dozen men with serious criminal records in the Kingdom of Eswatini, where they are being jailed indefinitely despite all having finished serving criminal sentences in the United States. It’s a disturbing situation.
Moving on angelolsen.bandcamp.com/album/big-time
Graham Platner, an oyster farmer running to unseat Susan Collins in Maine, is 16 points ahead of her in current polling. He reflects "radical" ideas about the Middle East shared by roughly 65% of American voters.
Great movie, and the Arrow Academy disk is highly recommended for supplements and commentary that are a lot of help for a dense, nightmarish, foreign, period-piece satire. Unfortunately I think the booklet, which also had some more helpful background, was limited edition only
I'm sure seeing Glenn tout it on his blog is what inspired me to check it out It's quite an experience. My husband couldn't quite handle it. I remember finishing the film by myself.
A lot of chatter lately about The Death of Stalin, but have people seen the bleak and brutal Russian film "Khrustalyov, My Car!"? Set in Moscow on the eve of Stalin's death, amidst the Doctors' plot purges, the film is chaotic, violent and sometimes scathingly funny. Recommended.
Produce the bodies, be they alive or dead.
#NowListening matmos.bandcamp.com/album/the-ma...
"It’s a purposefully ugly movie, but is it obscene?" Terrific essay on one of the more fascinating and depressing films out there from @kphipps3000.bsky.social thereveal.film/the-scandal-...
"We came to see the show, the show was gruesome, and the NFL starts Thursday. This was Bill Belichick's moment, it lasted five minutes, and you may decide for yourselves how much you enjoyed it." defector.com/bill-belichi...
The "Donald the dove" takes from various anti-interventionists might have aged worse than anything.
I think my mom - not a football analysis, although she has watched a lot of New England Patriots games over the years - might have been on to something when she proclaimed: "Bill is past his sell-by date."
"Belichick’s Tar Heels were poorly coached. They were undisciplined and fundamentally unsound, missing tackle after tackle. They botched snaps and handoffs." rodgersherman.substack.com/p/they-hired...
MCDONALD'S TO DISCOUNT MEALS McDonald's said it is rolling out cheaper combo meals starting on Sept. 8, confirming moves first reported by The Wall Street Journal. The meals will save customers 15% when compared with purchasing an entree, fries and a drink individually, and
"And so we are having an issue where we are having publishers who are 80 years old who would like to retire, which is completely understandable.” www.kake.com/home/pressed...
"College football, it turns out, isn’t simple to master, even for a legendary coach. Belichick, as Patriots fans learned his last few years in Foxborough, isn’t a miracle worker if he doesn’t have the players." www.bostonglobe.com/2025/09/03/s...
"Belichick hadn’t let anyone outside the program have a good look at his team all August. One longtime North Carolina staffer said before kickoff that he’s never had less of a feel for how a Heels team would perform." www.si.com/college-foot...
My mom this morning: "Bill is past his sell-by date." We'll see!
Watched this earlier this year, and it's the first film I thought of when I saw he died.
Jerry Nadler ends his remarkable career, conceding that his brand of politics on the Middle East is over. “I don’t know what to say at this point,” he said. “I can’t defend what Israel is doing.” www.nytimes.com/2025/09/01/n...
I see the actor Graham Greene has died. He's best known for his work in Dances with Wolves, which earned him an Oscar nomination. But check out his ferocious turn in the underseen western/revenge film Clearcut, where he plays a vengeful Indigenous activist. Not for the faint of heart.
Good breakdown of why we should be asking questions about Trump’s health www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/it-s-time-...
My Mainer relatives like this guy
"By silencing the press – those who document and bear witness – Israel is silencing the war." According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, at least 189 journalists and media workers have been killed in the war in Gaza www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
From nine former CDC directors www.nytimes.com/2025/09/01/o...
Donald Trump Sir please prove the haters and losers wrong and walk briskly up a steep hill #TrumpWalkUpAHill
www.nationalnursesunited.org/press/nation...
Some bears
Tide pooling This place is filthy with hermit crabs
BREAKING: A federal judge has *blocked* the Trump administration from abruptly deporting 600 unaccompanied Guatemalan children — perhaps within a matter of hours — granting an emergency restraining order after advocates called the plan illegal + dangerous. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
Another peaceful move from the peace presided
#NowListening
"There was a period of time, briefly, where the middle-income consumer looked like they were being dragged up by all that was going well in the world. Then things fell off a cliff.” www.wsj.com/economy/cons...
"The 38-page prospectus seen by The Washington Post envisions at least a temporary relocation of all of Gaza’s more than 2 million population, either through what it calls “voluntary” departures ... or into restricted, secured zones inside the enclave during reconstruction." Illegal. Insane.
VA is a disaster right now. I generally don't trust the private sector with my healthcare, yet had wrist surgery three weeks ago at Baylor Scott & White in Dallas because VA couldn't handle it. First time I've had a major procedure or serious condition treated outside the military or VA since 1996.
APOLLO: “.. Will We See a Repeat of 2021 and the 1970s? .. There is upside pressure on inflation and inflation expectations .. The risks are rising that we could see another ‘inflation mountain’ emerge over the coming months.”
Joan Blondell behind the scenes of Wellman’s NIGHT NURSE (1931)
That news analysis label is almost always a big red flag
It’s not much consolation, but history will remember what she did and what this is.
Nightfall
This firefighter arrived in the US at age 4, has been here for 19 years, was on track to legal status, and was on a crew trying to contain a major blaze (in Washington state, vs Oregon, fwiw.) h/t @joshuajfriedman.com www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
One of the few conspiracy theories I believe in is that the Trump robot in the Hall of Presidents at Walt Disney World was planned as a Hillary Clinton robot and was crudely redesigned at the last minute to be a Trump robot
Kids in the surf
The pro-Ebola administration
Monica Vitti 'L'avventura'
Leaves are changing
Zohran Mamdani is the happiest politician in America, his whole campaign is about how New York is awesome and can be even awesomer. Meanwhile, there has never been a politician in history who talked as much about what a shithole he thinks America is as Donald Trump does.
Trump administration goes to bat for pediatric brain cancer
"To get out of this, our project will by necessity be one of remaking national life. We will have to present new and positive definitions of what it means to be American and to revive the commitments to pluralism, tolerance, decency, and service that enable liberal democracy to flourish."
"Trump and MAGA have turned the country over to the cruelest, most rapacious, and least honorable among us and directed the force of the state against firefighters, aid workers, civil servants, and children." good piece from @aselrod.bsky.social www.liberalcurrents.com/let-it-burn-...
Hoping to see it on the big screen next week
Frankenhooker (1990) Hysterical, messed up in the best way horror comedy in which a grieving medical school dropout goes to extreme lengths to bring his fiancée back from dead after a tragic lawnmower accident Starring Patty Mullen Directed and co-written by Frank Henenlotter - BOTD in 1950
"Economists warn produce and dairy are most exposed, and many families will be forced to trade down to cheaper, processed foods."
" ... produce prices could rise 50% to 100% by early next year as inventories clear and new contracts kick in." Yikes fortune.com/2025/08/28/t...
House Democrats need to push to impeach RFK Jr.
I watched "The War of the Roses" for the first time a couple of months ago. I was prepared for a black comedy - but I was surprised by how dark this one got.
"What sets The War of the Roses apart from other films of its ilk is the depth of its conviction, and how far it’s willing to go." Enjoyed this essay from @crooked-marquee.bsky.social crookedmarquee.com/everyones-th...
Good essay, although, unlike the author, I don't believe Trump really wants to help his workers. Trump isn't confused - he simply doesn't care about other people. This might be tough for the MAGA workers at the aluminum foundry to understand, but to many of us, it is clear as day.
"The Trump administration’s tariffs are meant to encourage domestic aluminum smelting. But they will cause real economic pain." www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
cc pundits who said it was insane & unworkable for Mamdani to propose NY opening a grocery store in a food desert
An "I have been banned from the mall because of my sketchy interactions with teen girls" candidate
We grabbed this at the used bookstore and my son thinks it’s hilarious. Lots of laughter and smiles.
DEM +50
Boy reading in coffee shop
WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE
A federal grand jury has declined to indict another person arrested as part of President Trump's D.C. crime surge. This was the only case we know of in which the National Guard participated in an arrest. After the grand jury declined to return an indictment, DOJ moved to dismiss the case.
Page One in #NY21. www.nny360.com/news/it-s-be...
Major update: As of this morning, CVS says it's decided it can offer the vax in 13 of the 16 states IF you get a prescription. Still a big new barrier for many people, but a change from its "no vaccines at all in these states" position yesterday. The three remaining absolute-nos are MA, NV and NM.
"Damnation" is filled with stunning images, but it is also a memorable sonic experience, filled with rain, torch songs and mournful hurdy-gurdy music. Slow-moving, but mesmerizing.
Watched the 1988 film "Damnation" from Hungarian auteur Bela Tarr. This movie, which has a noir plot but unfolds at a languid pace, immersing viewers in hypnotic and apocalyptic imagery, more than lives up to its title, depicting the protagonist's fateful descent to a hell of his own making.
New album from The Beths out today! #NowListening
Gross
Decided to check out The Seasoning House, an African restaurant in Troy, this evening. Ate wings, shrimp rolls and sweet millet pudding. The ginger juice is pretty spicy.
This is smart
We’re all looking for the guy that did this.
The CDC staff walkout is inspiring. In fact, it inspired me to email my senators and ask them to take the lead in pushing for RFK Jr.'s resignation. It's a small gesture, but I felt I should do something to support the workers who are taking this bold step.
So.... 1)The state of Florida spent >$200 million to build the facility it calls "Alligator Alcatraz" 2) It opened in early July, christened by Trump. 3) Now it is closing, due to a judge's order. 4) It will cost $20 million to dismantle the center, which was used for about 2 months.
#NowListening kellyleeowens.bandcamp.com/album/inner-...
AND NOW THE SENIOR CDC LEADERS HAVE JOINED THE WALK OUT! www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZ7Q...
Email from bandcamp on the impact of tariffs on music and merchandise sold through the site
Massive walkout at #CDC. Tick tock. Tick tock. RFK Jr. your time is up. (typo fixed). Spread the word. www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZ7Q...
If you want diplomatic solutions that promote peace, it helps to know what you're doing. Here's a piece on how the main thing that seems to have resulted from Witkoff's meeting with Putin was a lot of confusion. www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...
The chances of this happening are essentially zero. Trump has destabilized the world since taking office, threatening allies and sending the military to occupy D.C. It's true he likes Putin, but being friendly with a dictator does not make one a man of peace.
In all seriousness, though, the idea that Trump might usher in a new age of global peace was always complete baloney and the people who fell for it were total fools. Some of them are still carrying on as if all Trump needs to do is listen to his better angels to turn things around.
"The Body Beautiful" is a layered and complex film that packs a lot into 23-minutes. It also benefits greatly from the fact that Onwurah's mother plays herself, in a soulful and revealing performance. Highly recommended.
Watched the striking, provocative 1991 autobiographical short film "The Body Beautiful," about filmmaker Ngozi Onwurah's relationship with her mother. Onwurah is a mixed-race former model; her mother is a white British woman who underwent a radical mastectomy when her children were young.
Our peace president is at it again. When will the Nobel committee give Trump his prize?
BREAKING: Federal Reserve governor Lisa Cook has just sued Trump over his attempt to fire her from office.
One more time, shout out to the very serious people who suggested that RFK had some really good points about public health. No way to have predicted how things would turn out, except to look at his past record and everything he said about vaccines.
I know Democrats are overwhelmed (or rudderless, if you are less charitable) by the sheer volume of Trump authoritarian moves, but I’d like to see them unified behind specific goals like “RFK Jr is a threat to public health and needs to go.”
George has been put to bed
She has demonstrated over and over again that she is not this person, and yet still, some believe
It’s almost as if appointing an anti-vax lunatic with zero qualifications to oversee America’s health was a numbskull idea and everybody with a functioning brain knew it.
One of history's great enablers
"Sign o' the Times" hits IMAX this week "The fact that it’s one of the essential concert films, often mentioned in the same breath as classics like Stop Making Sense and The Last Waltz, is remarkable in part because it’s not really a concert at all." thereveal.film/the-prince-o...
Don't worry - we can trust Sen. Bill Cassidy to get to the bottom of this www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
Not since the Nationals won the World Series have I seen D.C. as united as now, against boots and guns in the streets.
