In Crushing Blow to Fascism, Voters Repudiate Republicans

I really didn’t think it would be quite like this. The only question is if the midterms should be referred to as a blue tsunami or a blue(-mediated) extinction event. What happened in Texas in particular is a full body blow to Republicans; with Texas it’s not just the seats, but it’s also a morale crisis, as this is the complete dissolution of a Republican stronghold. And remember that, in Texas, the state races were heavily gerrymandered, and Democrats still did great. In North Carolina, Democrats control the state House for the first time in sixteen years.

I could go on and on, but this is a crushing defeat–and it’s important that the political commentariat call it as such. They’re already trying to spin it as “people hate Republicans, not like Democrats”–something they never do with much less decisive Republican victories. Have no doubt: this is a crushing defeat for Republicans and for Trump.

Also, in the mainland colony known as the District of Columbia, the foie gras ban passed 73-27. Freedom is on the march.

(I’ll have more to say about the elections, but last night was a late night).

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Links 11/3/26

Links for you. Science:

Where to Find the Colors Your Screen Can’t Show You
The Currency of the Journal Article Is Collapsing
Yakima County resident dies from complications of bird flu after dairy exposure
The Year Math Changed Forever. A.I. is solving problems that stumped the field for decades. Mathematicians look to Terence Tao for guidance on their altered world.
Symptom Misrepresentation to Obtain Antibiotics
Third person dies of bird flu since virus started jumping to livestock
Antimicrobials in a Box: A Primer on the Risks of Direct-to-Consumer Antimicrobial Preparedness Kits

Other:

A Seaside Shrine to the Slaveholders’ Insurrection
Popularist Public Ownership
Even Republicans Want Ken Paxton to Lose
“You Don’t Want to Visit”: Why U.S. Allies Are Avoiding D.C.
What South Africans Know About Elon Musk
The Orbán Fake-Out
Judge Launches Investigation Into Trump Officials In East Potomac Renovation Case
Suddenly, MAGA’s Biggest Players in the House Are in Danger of Defeat
FBI Agents Have Been Instructed to Stay Away From D.C. Polling Sites
The Most Extreme, Toxic, Bizarre, Scandal-Plagued Candidates of the 2026 Midterms
Trump Has Gotten Richer — It’s Not Going to Republican Campaigns (lol, of course it’s not)
Fox News loses its grip on the culture wars
The Racism Scam
We Left Them No Choice But To Be Evil
What the Economy Is Sacrificing to AI
‘Theobros’ Want to Strip Women of the Right to Vote—But Only After They Vote Republican in the Midterms
The Online Right’s Closing Campaign Argument: Fascist Anakin Skywalker Memes
Donald Trump’s Vietnam war comment raises eyebrows
The New York Times Terminates Contract with Romance Columnist Olivia Waite After Bluesky Repost
What We Should Hear From The Winners Tonight
Separable
Midterm Countdown, Zero Days to Go.
Trump floors Fox News with bonkers bombshell out of nowhere: ‘We won’t be paying Israel’
Democracy Is A Kitchen Table Issue in 2026
Judge Calls for More ICE Agents on Witness Stand: ‘Willing To Lie’
Google Will Turn Off Search for Schools That Reject A.I. Google is making it easier to restrict its A.I. tools for students. But schools that block A.I. entirely will lose student access to Google’s search engine
Trump assaulted freedom. Americans are fighting back. That’s the story of the midterms
How GOP Election Boards Are Attacking College Voters. Students now face a “modern-day poll tax” to vote in key Senate battlegrounds.
Matt Drudge No Longer Rules Our World
How Trump Is Helping Netanyahu Steal Israel’s Election

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A Few Election Day Thoughts

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!
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Links 11/2/26

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

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Who Vets Democratic Politicians?

Believe it or not, this is not a post about the NY Times. On Sunday, Democratic congresswoman and Michigan senate primary candidate Haley Stevens immolated what remains of her political career by endorsing and appearing in public with rightwing Republican Michigan senate candidate Mike Rogers. What most people are trying to figure out is why Stevens would do this. By way of Atrios, we get some inside skinny from another Michigan senate primary candidate Mallory McMorrow’s husband, Ray Wert:

haleystevens

What I would like to know is how Stevens ever got traction in the first place. If Wert is correct about Stevens, she was a disaster waiting to happen (at least with someone like Fetterman, part of his shift can be attributed to his stroke–and has been). And it’s not like she’s a political virtuoso with some flaws. She’s basically a replacement-level Democrat. Somewhere along the way, someone should have realized this is not a person you want running for the Senate, especially in an important race.

Worse, unlike Platner, she’s not an outsider. She was the establishment’s preferred candidate. Yet somehow this latent dumpster fire was able to survive and thrive in the Democratic Party*. We need better vetting.

*Stevens has links to Steven Rattner, but I have no idea if that played any role whatsoever in her political ascent.

Posted in Democrats | 3 Comments

Links 11/1/26

Links for you. Science:

Families in the US are opting for earlier measles vaccinations amid outbreak
Kennedy to select MAHA-aligned researcher to head mental health institute, overruling NIH director
As a historic measles outbreak hits Pennsylvania Amish country, more show openness to vaccines
‘Star Trek’ Actor Patrick Stewart Lived With Lewy Body Dementia. What Is It?
Lizard’s Secret of Defense Preserved in 100-Million-Year-Old Amber
More Like A Colossal Piece Of Shit
People Used to Drink Wine Made From Ground-Up Mummies. Now, Scientists Are Studying It

Other:

‘Screwed Up’: Latino Voters In Texas’ Rio Grande Valley Regret Backing Trump In 2024
Both parties tried to game Alaska primary field. The Democrat running for Senate, Mary Peltola, is accused of recruiting a spoiler candidate, but Republicans have also boosted spoilers.
Park Police Pursuit Ends in a Crash for the Third Time This Week. Policies for Park Police car chases were loosened last year under an executive order from President Donald Trump. (the Park Police, without the consent of the governed, has decided to inflict its own policing policy on the residents of the mainland colony)
Where’s The Music? This election is a referendum on Trump’s attempt to rule as king. Democrats should close on putting down his rebellion, no matter what happens to the price of diesel.
Why Donald Trump Wants To Replace American History With Big Statues Of Famous People
Three Simple Tests For A Democratic Majority
Thinking Clearly About January 6
Freshly Humiliated Flavio Bolsonaro Scurries Off To Miami
I’m an Israeli-American Jew. I Love Israel. I Voted for Abdul El-Sayed
New census rules could erase a quarter of Boston
Centrist Democrats Are Trying Hard to Lose the Midterms
Viral Debate Crashout Has Endangered Maryland’s Sole Republican House Member
The Punk-Rock Appeal of the Women’s Pro Baseball League
Forget Congress. The fight for democracy is in these under-the-radar, downballot races
The Eviction Kings Are Being Sued
Why I, a Palestinian Citizen of Israel, Broke My Boycott and Voted in the Election
Will the Progressive Insurgency in NY-17 Oust MAGA Loyalist Mike Lawler?
El-Sayed is just the latest liberal candidate forced to affirm his loyalty to America
Donald Trump Is Bad at Politics
Someday, the Republicans will again want to be seen as conservative. Don’t let them
The GOP’s midterm plan: Make America hate Muslims again
In Leaked Audio, Flock CEO Tells Cops Backlash to the Company Isn’t Real
MAGA attacks on women voters are no joke. Even if they can’t repeal the 19th Amendment, opponents of women’s suffrage are gaining power in the GOP
Major D.C. Landlord Sued Over Excessive Fees for Tenants. A D.C. renter claims Vivmark Residential charged him and others thousands of dollars in fees the D.C. Council has ruled illegal
Low-engagement voters are swinging hard toward Democrats. Low-engagement voters handed Trump the 2024 election. Now they support Democrats for Congress
Musk gives a very racist reason for all his election spending
What If Elon Throttles Netflix?
Proton’s CEO Cancels AI ‘Re-Interviews’
The Anti-A.I. Money Strikes Back
The AI bubble could expose your deepest secrets

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In Case You Missed It…

…a week of Mad Biologist posts:

On COVID Conspiracies and Mink Farms

The National Guard Occupation Is Not Harmless

The NY Times Could Use This Word Every Day to Describe Trump’s Speech

A Bad Week for D.C.’s Crime Stats

Posted in Weekly Roundup | 1 Comment

Links 10/31/26

Links for you. Science:

Ohio’s Kroger gets $3 million ‘MAHA’ grant. Critics call it taxpayer-funded marketing.
The efficiency of information gain by natural selection
A New Kind of Chemistry
The phantom lighthouse: new research explains one of Australia’s strangest illusions
AI Generated Content and the Identification of Features in Time Series Data
Scientific Reports on hold in PubMed while NLM reevaluates journal
Pork Futures: How should we save our swine?
Congo Ebola outbreak kills more than 5,000

Other:

Please Let the Internet Die
Forget Banning Stock Trades. A Democratic Majority Must Tackle All Corruption.
Former Patient Files Class-Action Lawsuit Against Senator Marshall
Searching for Jobs, Gen Z Feels Like It’s Staring Into ‘the Void’
DoorDash’s $17B Acquisition of Instacart Points to a World Without Employees
George Pelecanos Shows Off His D.C. Roots Yet Again
Ask A D.C. Native: I’m an artist. Should I leave D.C. to make it big?
RFK Jr. may hate vaccines, but he loves mystery shots
Nearly half of people who applied for shelter at this D.C. homeless family crisis center were denied
Mark Ein closes in on control of Rock Creek Tennis Center, home of DC Open
Democrats Have a Bogeyman in Musk. They’re Hardly Using Him.
Agentic AI is myth set in motion
After decades of boycotts, Palestinian citizens of Israel turned out to vote. It could shape what comes next
‘Amateur morons’: Flávio Bolsonaro’s short-lived ‘president-elect’ claim met with mockery
Federal judge signals she may halt construction on Trump’s arch
The Supreme Court’s Gutting of the Voting Rights Act is Mobilizing Black Voters. Look at Alabama.
We polled Kansas. Democrats wanted to talk. Republicans, not so much.
Stephen Miller Messed with Texas
No one paid me to disagree with Jonathan Haidt. It was teenagers who taught me that he was wrong.
How Republican lie that Abdul El-Sayed ‘publicly supported’ Muslim Brotherhood started with Laura Loomer
Cabinet Officials on the Campaign Trail? Ethics Experts Say Some Are Breaking the Law.
Let’s Talk About Alaska
Mike Rogers’s Wife Runs a Consultancy That Sells Government Access
A very abbreviated list of a few corruption scandals from the first half of Trump’s second term
Instagram shut down a No Kings account. Now Democrats want answers from Mark Zuckerberg.
U.S. to Send Dozens Back to Afghanistan, Despite Risk of Persecution
Trump Rages as Leaks Show Aides Feeding Him Midterm Hopium
D.C. and Virginia sue to block Trump’s proposed triumphal arch
2028 Won’t Be the 2020 Ideas Primary Again

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Links 10/30/26

Links for you. Science:

Senate candidate El-Sayed wants to ‘grill’ RFK Jr., calls him the ‘most incompetent HHS secretary ever’
No. I was not paid to critique the Anxious Generation. I came to the conclusion that the science featured in it was flawed all on my own
Holding Science to a Gold Standard Will Hold It Back. A metascientist pushes back against the unified and idealized vision of science embodied in NSF’s new Office of Metascience.
Florida Sues Climate Modeler First Street Over Home Risk Scores
30,000-year-old bone found in French cave reveals vast genetic connections between people of Eastern and Western Europe during the Stone Age
Domestic travel poses growing risk for measles—and a new challenge for states. International travel used to be the main risk of measles cases in the US—not anymore.
First ever human case of livestock-related Shamonda virus identified in France

Other:

Trump Erupted After Learning of Alina Habba’s $50 Million Deal. Angry about the scale of a contract signed by one of his former lawyers with the family of a wealthy pardon seeker, the president told allies he wanted some of the money to go to his future presidential library.
Video Shows ICE Agents Slashing Portland Couple’s Car Tire Then Driving Off
ICE Is Running One of the Largest Anti-Left Surveillance Operations in US History. ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations is engaged in far-reaching spying against left-wing activists that rivals the FBI and CIA crackdowns on the Civil Rights and anti-war movements.
Trump Just Told Us How He Intends to Steal the Midterms
Trump tried to rebrand “AI” as “SI.” Right-wing outlets aren’t listening.
Pay to Say: Influencers Caught in NewsGuard Sting
Google admits AI search makes less money, but it’s fixing that with more ads
A Defense Contractor Gave Their Personal AI Agent Access to a Secure Pentagon System
Hack Apocalypse Now
Jared Kushner Got Secretary of State Fired After Dictator Paid Him Off
Democrats Have an Islamophobia Problem Too. Centrist Democrats spent last year criticizing the party’s most visible Muslim candidate—and have done so again in 2026.
AI execs may be too out of touch to build for the general public
Kash Patel Invests in U.S. Tech as FBI Investigates Chinese-Connected Cybercrime
Bombshell report exposes Trump antisemitism czar’s threat to choke Jewish intern
Patrick Stewart, ‘Star Trek’ Captain and ‘X-Men’ Superhero, Dies at 86
Conservative influencers face identity theft charges over Minnesota primary
Patrick Stewart, a perceptive patriarch in ‘Star Trek’ and ‘X-Men,’ dies at 86
In historic first, voters in five states will decide transgender youth rights. Five states have initiatives on the ballot to outlaw trans athletes in girls’ sports and gender transition treatment for children. Washington state could require genital exams for girls in school athletics.
ICE agents tackle and injure U.S. citizen student with disabilities, local officials say
Confused NYPD Abandons East Village E-Bike Raid. They showed up to harass delivery workers … but then changed their minds.
Brazil probes foreign financing, including group linked to Vance
Top 25 donors provided 1 in 6 individual contribution dollars
Oldest Recording of Louisiana’s Vanishing Creole Language Is Published. The rediscovery of a forgotten recording from 1935 sheds light on a language rooted in the state’s history of slavery and French colonialism.
Google Eats Its Own Tail (and Profits) With AI Summaries as Stock Price Plunges
America’s Truckers on the Brink With 221 Bankruptcies This Year
Disinformation videos, likely from Russia, are exploiting real people to malign Senate candidates
Good Enough For Journalism
Waiting On a New D.C. Trash Can? You’re Not Alone.
All My Apes Gone
I talked to Tom, the viral ‘Jonestown’ Trump rally guy. He planned to make good trouble. But he didn’t expect to be handed a Fox News mic.

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A Bad Week for D.C.’s Crime Stats

As of 9am Friday, there were four homicides in D.C. this week. To date this year, D.C. has reported a total of 83* homicides this year. Last year, during the same time period, we had 114 homicides, and in the surge year of 2023, there were 226 homicides during that same time period.

Property crimes were level, and violent crimes, other than homicides, declined this week. At this rate, this will be the first year since the last year of Biden’s presidency where homicides don’t decline by 33%.

Hoping for a much better week next week.

*Three of the 86 murders reported this year actually occurred in other years (e.g., a missing persons case from 2023 turned into a homicide case this year with new evidence).

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