Mike the Mad Biologist

In no particular order:

1. Since people like predictions, putting on my analytical thinkin’ cap, Democrats will get 52 Senate seats and 240 House seats. Taking off that hat, and donning my ‘avoiding psychological trauma’ hat, my lower boundary is Democrats get 49 Senate seats and 225 House seats.
2. Haley Stevens might have inadvertently helped Democrats rally around the flag (so to speak).
3. One thing to keep in mind is that all of these races will move in a correlated fashion, albeit not in lockstep. In other words, there really isn’t a world where Annie Andrews ekes out a win, but Ossoff loses.
4. Given the previous statement, two House races that will be bellwethers are KY-6 and Republican Andy Harris’ seat in Maryland. If Democrats do well in those races (never mind manage to win one or both), it’s going to be a really bad night for Republicans.
5. If there’s a polling result I don’t believe, it’s Troy Jackson doing several points better than Collins (in Maine), which I’ve now seen in two different polls. I hope I’m wrong!
6. I’m trying not to be pedantic about margins of error in polling, but it’s really hard.
7. Obviously, if you haven’t voted yet, go vote!

Links for you. Science:

How Trump Is Dismantling America’s Scientific Research Machine
The Party of Pandemics Wants Your Vote!
I Used AI to Fake a Scientific Paper. Here’s What Happened
CDC scientists sought urgent alert on measles in pregnancy. It wasn’t approved. The report could fill major gaps about a condition doctors have rarely seen for decades. (but the sanctity of the unborn something something; impeach Kennedy, impeach him now)
Scientists Analyzed Thousands of Psychedelic Trips. They Found Something Disturbing
What Can Professional Scientific Societies Do to Improve Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: A Case Study of the American Elasmobranch Society
Strange, catastrophic landslides are kicking off across the far north

Other:

The New York Times invents a Democratic scandal while ignoring a new Trump rape allegation
Why Doesn’t D.C. Have More Control Over Its Parks? In a new report, current and former city leaders argue that the National Park Service, which oversees 90% of parkland in D.C., should turn over more control.
Standing up for trans people isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s smart politics
Threats, Gaffes and Men’s Posteriors: Trump’s Talk Gets Wilder (now that it looks bad for Trump, the NYT is cautiously discussing his mental illnesses)
The foreign policy “Blob” exists. Actually, it’s an egregore.
The Confusion Over the Candidate with the Same Last Name…in Nevada…with a Sneaky Republican-Backed Voter-Confusing (?) Ad Featuring AOC That I’m Sure DOJ Will Investigate (Ha!)
Led by Trump, Republicans Close Midterms With Ugly Personal Attacks (again, the NYT is abandoning the sinking ship)
Go Over To The Dark Side
Susan Collins Is Always Keeping Score
Outside groups spend millions on ads to weaken Black support for El-Sayed in Michigan Senate race
Haley Stevens’ High(est) Profile Meltdown
A rollicking interview with The Bulwark co-founder Tim Miller on the danger of undercounting Republicans, the mistake of underestimating JD Vance, and the “sour spot” between MAGA and country club Republicans.
Traveling Route 66 in the Age of Data Centers
New York Times report on Democrats’ secret ballot-stacking effort draws mixed reactions from Alaskans
New York Times Peltola story wins the Fox News Unfair and Unbalanced Award
Trump’s Tyranny, Part 4: Superpower Suicide
Brazil’s left reinvented the right’s online playbook. It helped Lula win
Drone photo award winners: Far-out landscapes. Ship recycling. Rugs, rugs rugs!
Most Israelis think settlements policy should change to avoid more sanctions, poll finds. Survey finds UK government’s decision to impose trade ban was not a decisive factor in how Israelis voted in election
Do Celebrities Endorsing Prediction Markets Not Have Enough Money Already?
Ex-Chicago FBI boss sues Trump admin saying he was wrongly blamed for botched ‘Broadview 6’ case
Roger Marshall’s Covert Kansas Cabal: The senator is just the latest Kansan in the state legacy of the secretive, right-wing Fellowship Foundation
Iowa Farmers Union pushes for Turek, the first federal candidate the group has endorsed in years
GGWash’s endorsements for 2026 Advisory Neighborhood Commission candidates
Microsoft just gave us the perfect name for AI thieves: Kyle
Abortion Opponents Warn Republicans That Ignoring the Issue Will Cost Them the Election
Garden apartments hold fascinating local history, future promise
Beatty’s Lawyers Say Kennedy Center Officials Pushed Closure to Hide Financial Struggles
The ‘Blacklash’ Is Here
Shooting The Dead

Yet they do not. Which is a choice. On Tuesday, the NY Times ran a story about HHS Secretary Kennedy’s bigoted remarks about Arabs with the following headline:

What’s notable is they didn’t use a phrase like ‘bigotry-tinged’, they just, correctly, called it bigoted. What’s also notable is how the NY Times does not use this language to describe Trump’s speeches (or Vance’s), even though, nearly every day he utters the equivalent of blood libel against immigrants, not to mention other bigoted statements.

The NY Times probably won’t start using this word to describe Trump–and will never do so regarding Vance’s bigotry*–until Trump is weakened to the point where it doesn’t matter anymore.

*The NY Times and other Serious Institutions won’t want to seem like they’re putting their thumb on the scale for Vance if he’s running, even though they have no problem monstering Democrats for much smaller lapses in good behavior (or things that aren’t lapses at all).