Irreverent antiquity and history enthusiast. Army Desert Storm vet. GENX Midwesterner with a passport full of stamps, a takeout menu collection that rivals my bookshelf, and delightfully eccentric friends.https://bsky.app/profile/lilmsmisanthrope.bsky.socialhttps://bsky.app/profile/lilmsmisanthrope.bsky.social/post/3mx5hi7iac224New York Post columnist Christian Toto calls Trump's proposed film tax credit a "generous bailout" and argues it still will not save Hollywood. The bill is bipartisan and not yet law. When the friendly press doubts the rescue, believe the doubt. https://share.google/hGqzVuKQ6N8PKuHkV05 Oct 2026 17:39 +0000at://did:plc:be2ooatbkohdvv4yldk3hfn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mx5hi7iac224https://bsky.app/profile/lilmsmisanthrope.bsky.social/post/3mx3vmnecpk2vDonald Mehlhorn, a Democratic strategist, says Republicans could nominate Trump in 2028 and the Supreme Court could dodge the question. The 22nd Amendment says no person shall be elected President more than twice. That is the text. The rest is a theory. [contains quote post or other embedded content]05 Oct 2026 02:46 +0000at://did:plc:be2ooatbkohdvv4yldk3hfn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mx3vmnecpk2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/lilmsmisanthrope.bsky.social/post/3mwyz45q5kk2tMedian U.S. household income was $87,460 in 2025, per the Census Bureau. Yale's Budget Lab estimates tariffs cost a typical household more than $1,000 a year. NBC News reports Trump paid $750 in federal income tax in 2016 and again in 2017.03 Oct 2026 23:11 +0000at://did:plc:be2ooatbkohdvv4yldk3hfn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwyz45q5kk2thttps://bsky.app/profile/lilmsmisanthrope.bsky.social/post/3mwyz3liujc2tMedian U.S. household income was $87,460 in 2025, per the Census Bureau. Yale's Budget Lab estimates tariffs cost a typical household more than $1,000 a year. NBC News reports Trump paid $750 in federal income tax in 2016 and again in 2017.03 Oct 2026 23:11 +0000at://did:plc:be2ooatbkohdvv4yldk3hfn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwyz3liujc2thttps://bsky.app/profile/lilmsmisanthrope.bsky.social/post/3mwyz2rynes2tAP reported Trump called higher gas prices from the Iran war "a very inexpensive price to pay." The national average was $4.48 a gallon, up $1.27 from a year earlier. A Fox News poll found 61 percent of voters call gas prices a major household problem.03 Oct 2026 23:10 +0000at://did:plc:be2ooatbkohdvv4yldk3hfn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwyz2rynes2thttps://bsky.app/profile/lilmsmisanthrope.bsky.social/post/3mwywingqts2tTrump's tax returns, released by a House committee in 2022, show he paid $750 in federal income tax in 2016 and 2017, per NBC News. For 2020, NBC reports he appeared to owe none and claimed a $5 million refund. A $60,000 worker owes thousands.03 Oct 2026 22:24 +0000at://did:plc:be2ooatbkohdvv4yldk3hfn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwywingqts2thttps://bsky.app/profile/lilmsmisanthrope.bsky.social/post/3mwywdutcdk2tOn $60,000, a single filer owes about 8.4 percent in federal income tax by my math from 2026 brackets. ProPublica found the 25 richest Americans paid 3.4 percent of their wealth growth in income taxes from 2014 to 2018. Different measures, same question: who carries the load?03 Oct 2026 22:21 +0000at://did:plc:be2ooatbkohdvv4yldk3hfn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwywdutcdk2thttps://bsky.app/profile/lilmsmisanthrope.bsky.social/post/3mwyv3xsem22tFortune reports Sergey Brin has given $102 million to fight California's Proposition 40, a one time 5 percent tax on billionaires. Fortune estimates he could owe $13 billion. That is about 78 cents spent for every $100 at stake. https://share.google/6z4mSMFbC9nDmQbxL03 Oct 2026 21:59 +0000at://did:plc:be2ooatbkohdvv4yldk3hfn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwyv3xsem22thttps://bsky.app/profile/lilmsmisanthrope.bsky.social/post/3mwy3tcnw6c2eThe official finding is suicide. CBS News reports a forensic professor found details "unique" for a suicide case: no scene photographs of the body, and a ligature never preserved or examined. His conclusions are not public until Nov. 16. Until then, the honest word is unresolved. https://share.google/KlyeO08Cozhda9NeA03 Oct 2026 14:27 +0000at://did:plc:be2ooatbkohdvv4yldk3hfn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwy3tcnw6c2ehttps://bsky.app/profile/lilmsmisanthrope.bsky.social/post/3mwwp3plrx22rTIME fact checked Trump's interview. Iran's inflation is not "300%," its central bank reports 83.8%. TIME found no CBP data for Biden "allowed 25 million." Manufacturing is not at a record: 12.6 million jobs now, 19.6 million in 1979. Three claims, none supported.03 Oct 2026 01:06 +0000at://did:plc:be2ooatbkohdvv4yldk3hfn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwwp3plrx22rhttps://bsky.app/profile/lilmsmisanthrope.bsky.social/post/3mwwozo6fo22rTIME fact checked Trump's interview. He said his convention drew "107 million views." TIME cites Nielsen data showing the speech averaged 2.5 million viewers on Fox News, while the NFL opener he said it beat averaged 25.1 million on NBC. He said 107. The data says 2.5.03 Oct 2026 01:05 +0000at://did:plc:be2ooatbkohdvv4yldk3hfn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwwozo6fo22rhttps://bsky.app/profile/lilmsmisanthrope.bsky.social/post/3mwwowf4ses2rPolitico, citing anonymous officials, reported the White House threatened a U.S. diesel export ban to push Europe to release reserves. One diplomat called it "blackmail." Macron says talks were "constructive." The G7 then announced 100 million barrels. Two officials called it "fake."03 Oct 2026 01:03 +0000at://did:plc:be2ooatbkohdvv4yldk3hfn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwwowf4ses2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/lilmsmisanthrope.bsky.social/post/3mwwotlhvos2rForbes reported Justice Alito told CBS News Trump has been "very harsh" on the court. Forbes also notes Trump has not attacked Alito, and that the court sided with Trump in 24 of 32 shadow docket cases, per the Brennan Center tracker. Alito recused from the climate case Monday.03 Oct 2026 01:02 +0000at://did:plc:be2ooatbkohdvv4yldk3hfn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwwotlhvos2rhttps://bsky.app/profile/lilmsmisanthrope.bsky.social/post/3mwwna5lvpk2vA Florida grand jury found $10 million meant for poor children was "misappropriated" through Hope Florida and routed to PACs fighting Amendment 3. Its own conclusion: "insufficient evidence to charge anyone criminally." Per Fortune, no one would take responsibility. Seven months sealed.03 Oct 2026 00:33 +0000at://did:plc:be2ooatbkohdvv4yldk3hfn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwwna5lvpk2vhttps://bsky.app/profile/lilmsmisanthrope.bsky.social/post/3mwvpx6ddis25NAACP, SEIU, and other groups sued DHS, DOJ, and the FBI, alleging voter intimidation in violation of Section 11(b) of the Voting Rights Act. Their counsel at the Brennan Center says officials threatened armed agents at polling places. Federal law already prohibits that. https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/court-cases/naacp-et-al-v-us-department-homeland-security-et-al02 Oct 2026 15:49 +0000at://did:plc:be2ooatbkohdvv4yldk3hfn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwvpx6ddis25https://bsky.app/profile/lilmsmisanthrope.bsky.social/post/3mwvpoafgms25Reason (September 24, 2026) reported a federal lawsuit alleging DHS sends armed agents to citizens' homes to question their voter eligibility. Secretary Mullin says DHS is looking at 300,000 cases. DOJ says it has charged 70 people with unlawful voting since January 2025. https://reason.com/2026/09/24/homeland-security-agents-are-harassing-american-voters-of-foreign-origin/02 Oct 2026 15:44 +0000at://did:plc:be2ooatbkohdvv4yldk3hfn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwvpoafgms25https://bsky.app/profile/lilmsmisanthrope.bsky.social/post/3mwvpc2p7qs2bReuters (September 30, 2026) reported Trump said he has done "a very bad job of explaining how good the country is doing." Consumer confidence is near its lowest in about 12 years. Voters did not miss the message. They saw the pump and the mortgage rate.02 Oct 2026 15:37 +0000at://did:plc:be2ooatbkohdvv4yldk3hfn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwvpc2p7qs2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/lilmsmisanthrope.bsky.social/post/3mwvny63hr22bTime reported Trump spent hours with Elon Musk chatbot Grok asking how Venezuelans would react to Maduro capture. Grok did not recommend it. This week Trump said AI needs "a tremendous amount of self-regulation," per Seoul Economic Daily. The consultation came first. The oversight is optional.02 Oct 2026 15:14 +0000at://did:plc:be2ooatbkohdvv4yldk3hfn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwvny63hr22bhttps://bsky.app/profile/lilmsmisanthrope.bsky.social/post/3mwvmscva3k2bThe oceans took in a record 23 zettajoules of heat last year, and 84 percent of coral reefs hit bleaching level heat stress from January 2023 to September 2025. The planet has been absorbing it quietly. Quiet is not consent.02 Oct 2026 14:53 +0000at://did:plc:be2ooatbkohdvv4yldk3hfn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwvmscva3k2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/lilmsmisanthrope.bsky.social/post/3mwvjthhkqk2bThe oceans have absorbed about 90 percent of the extra heat humanity trapped. The Guardian reported a record 23 zettajoules last year, almost 40 times our energy use. A debt is not erased because no one has collected it yet. https://share.google/eaWaipXoJh8iRbMwD02 Oct 2026 14:00 +0000at://did:plc:be2ooatbkohdvv4yldk3hfn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwvjthhkqk2bhttps://bsky.app/profile/lilmsmisanthrope.bsky.social/post/3mwsx5z56gc2tAxios (September 30, 2026) reported the FTC is preparing civil investigative demands to OpenAI and Anthropic over AI safety. Trump says AI needs "a tremendous amount of self-regulation," per Seoul Economic Daily. Bill Gates called that approach "really insane" on the Ezra Klein Show.01 Oct 2026 13:20 +0000at://did:plc:be2ooatbkohdvv4yldk3hfn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwsx5z56gc2thttps://bsky.app/profile/lilmsmisanthrope.bsky.social/post/3mwrv4i4uvc2tThe Guardian (September 30, 2026) reported the Pentagon will study the future of warfare for 120 days with Elon Musk and Palmer Luckey, whose companies hold extensive Pentagon contracts. Asking the vendors what the customer needs is called a sales call. Here it is called Project Meridian.01 Oct 2026 03:11 +0000at://did:plc:be2ooatbkohdvv4yldk3hfn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwrv4i4uvc2thttps://bsky.app/profile/lilmsmisanthrope.bsky.social/post/3mwrd3fgiis2tThis is just awful. Abuse of power. Read what @jojofromjerz.bsky.social has been going through. Absolutely terrible. [contains quote post or other embedded content]30 Sep 2026 21:48 +0000at://did:plc:be2ooatbkohdvv4yldk3hfn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwrd3fgiis2thttps://bsky.app/profile/lilmsmisanthrope.bsky.social/post/3mwrcnrvnyc2tAP (September 29, 2026) reported the United States left GRECO, Europe's anti-corruption monitor, citing groups "not adapting to U.S. policies." A watchdog that adapts to the policies of those it watches is not a watchdog. It is a mascot. The United States joined in 2000.30 Sep 2026 21:40 +0000at://did:plc:be2ooatbkohdvv4yldk3hfn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwrcnrvnyc2thttps://bsky.app/profile/lilmsmisanthrope.bsky.social/post/3mwrb5cf3422tMilitary bearing is posture, discipline, and restraint. Every recruit is taught it. On September 30, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told officers at Quantico: "No fatties, no trannies, no beardos." CNN reported it. A commander sets the climate for his units. This was the climate.30 Sep 2026 21:13 +0000at://did:plc:be2ooatbkohdvv4yldk3hfn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwrb5cf3422thttps://bsky.app/profile/lilmsmisanthrope.bsky.social/post/3mwqvfdnu7k2nProp 40 opponents have reserved nearly $100 million in ads. Supporters have about $100,000. The tax would hit roughly 250 California billionaires to backfill federal Medi-Cal cuts. Sergey Brin alone has put in $102 million. Polls still show 48 percent support.30 Sep 2026 17:43 +0000at://did:plc:be2ooatbkohdvv4yldk3hfn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwqvfdnu7k2nhttps://bsky.app/profile/lilmsmisanthrope.bsky.social/post/3mwqsj73akk2nTarrant County, Texas, home to about 2.2 million people, just cut its polling places from 316 to 224 for the midterms, a 29 percent drop. The vote was 3 to 2 along party lines. Commissioner Rodrick Miles Jr. voted no: "Our population hasn't shrunk. Our electorate hasn't shrunk."30 Sep 2026 16:52 +0000at://did:plc:be2ooatbkohdvv4yldk3hfn2/app.bsky.feed.post/3mwqsj73akk2n