The lake placid IM is 51 days away (07/23). So a little more than 7 weeks. It will be my first full.
This past Friday, I went to attempt my first century ride and wiped out on my bike at mile 13 (bike is fine at least - I think). I broke my right pinky finger along with some road rash. I’m having surgery on the finger this coming Tuesday to repair it.
Following the surgery, doc says no swimming for 4-6 weeks. No prolonged running. No biking for 4-6 weeks, although in a few weeks I can get on the spinner. So it’s looking like I won’t really be able to exercise at all until the week before the race. Can’t even go on long walks right now - finger and hand are still very swollen, need to stay elevated, and our air quality is shit from the fires.
Training-wise, here’s where I’m at:
Running: Martha’s Vineyard Marathon - 05/20/2023. 3:32:38. I’m a runner at heart so not particularly worried. I was running over 20 miles every other week leading up to the race. I haven’t ran more than 8 miles since the marathon.
Cycling: Oh boy. I will admit this is my short coming. My last long ride was 04/29. 85 miles in 6 hours with 5,300 ft elevation gain. I had done 75 miles a few weeks before that and it tanked me, but I felt much better on the 85 mile ride. The way it’s looking now, I will not get another long ride in until Lake Placid. If I do, it will be the Saturday before the race (how many miles would you do that Saturday if you were in my position?).
Swimming: I am a strong swimmer. I had been doing 4,250y every 2 weeks in a 25y pool. About 68 minutes for me to do that, but there’s 179 flip turns there helping me out.
Tri experience: Lake Logan 70.3 last August in Western North Carolina, so I do have some experience with climbing, but it’s been a while. I had more in the tank when it ended. I also did a 70.3 on my own, unassisted, on 05/07 and it felt very good, although I was tired by the end. I PRd on all segments except the transition.
Right now, I’m still planning on doing the Lake Placid IM. That said, I’m scared I’ll lose some cardio base and I’m missing the crucial bike training that I was saving for these weeks (because I was focusing on the marathon before). Looks like for the next few weeks, all i can do is hip mobility exercises, stretching, and walking. Spinner in a few weeks if I’m …. Lucky.
Can someone out there please tell me I’ll be fine so I stop doubting myself? My original goal was obviously to finish, but I was eyeing sub-14 hours. Now it’s sub-17 hours and taking it slow and safe on the bike, but I just want to make sure I’m not crazy for doing this.
Thank you so much in advance, and much love to everyone in this awesome community.

Apparently PADRE location is hinted at being somewhere in coastal Georgia. If that’s the case, then why and how were they all the way in Texas and Louisiana looking for children to recruit? If they are all the way out there, it’s feasible to assume they ventured north too; possibly near the coastal areas of Virginia. Also, in TWD, Maggie said she took Hershel to a family cabin on the coast after her community was taken over by the reapers. If that’s coastal Georgia or South Carolina, it’s feasible that maybe she encountered PADRE at one point. What do you all think?

I had never heard of OGOA until yesterday, when I saw a Reddit link to the prologue of S1. I was immediately hooked, of course. I grew up in Alabama, descended from hillbillies from North Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia. I live in north Georgia, in the shadow of the Blue Ridge. I've long thought about writing a series of stories based around Southern horror - our history is absolutely savage and soaked in gore - mixed with cosmic horror elements, so I was attracted to OGOA immediately. The Alabama version of cosmic horror would look somewhat different to this in my mind, but given my roots in the deep hollers of the Appalachians, how could I not jump all over this with both feet? So while my wife and kids were out of town last night, and I was getting some other work done, I binged Season 1 like a fiend.
Impressions and thoughts, if you're interested...
1) The narrator's accent took some getting used to. It was, at times, really broad and over the top. It may sound natural and authentically Appalachian to someone not from the region, but to my ears, it came off as hokey and a bit too on-the-nose and stereotypical. At the end of some episodes, when he turned the accent off and made podcast announcements, I actually enjoyed his voice more. But I'm very aware it was all part of the expected atmosphere and set-up, so ultimately it was a pretty minor gripe. I recognize that I tend to be sensitive about it! See also, Timothy Olyphant in "Justified." His awful accent griped at me for so long. It was Walton Goggins, who actually is Southern, who ultimately made me watch the entire series.
2) I very much enjoyed the implications of the deep lore - that the land itself (in this alternate Appalachia) is corrupted by the presence of the Old Gods, and that those who make their living off the land also make a devil's bargain - the paycheck in return for your soul and ultimately your life. It's such a good metaphor for the awfulness that those mining towns and families are still enduring. But also:
3) I have to be a bit of a geography/geology wonk here. This podcast (well, season 1, at least) is not set in the Appalachian Mountains. It's set in the Interior Plateaus to the west of the Appalachians. The Appalachian Mountains themselves do not have any significant coal-bearing strata. The two regions are even physically separated by a huge, wide valley known, appropriately, as the Great Valley. I guess I was expecting something more along the lines of high-Appalachian North Carolina mythology and folk magic, which is related to, but distinct from, coal country mythology. Again, that was a personal thing though, and ultimately did not damage my appreciation for the work. I recognize that orogeny and culture are complicated. I'm certainly not arguing that the cultures of the two regions are unrelated, or that it's "not Appalachian," or at least not derived from the same source.
4) Linguistic wonkery - I was very glad that "Appalachia" is pronounced properly. I'd expect nothing less from creators who are actually from the region, but I've been disappointed before. If it had been pronounced "App uh lay chuh" in the prologue, I likely would have turned it off and never listened again.
5) I really loved the corruption of Pastor Cletus. The fact that he was flawed and his church was ultimately corrupted into a straight up Cult of the Outer Gods, complete with blood sacrifice, without anyone realizing it, was very well done.
6) I really like my cosmic horror to be bleak, cold, and hopeless lol. I like Lovecraft's model of "the best we can hope to do is survive an encounter with the Old Gods with our sanity sort of intact." I thought season one of "True Detective" did this extremely well. The degenerate Louisiana cult was defeatable, but they were horrifically inhuman and nihilistic, and their defeat didn't really do anything to change the nebulous, reality-shattering experience of encountering Hastur's avatar in the heart of the cult's compound.
OGOA's approach of having witch bottles be effective at blocking Horned Head, and then Daughter Dooley being able to defeat it with a simple trick of blood magic, feels...not right, somehow. Confusing, I guess. It makes me wonder if there are multiple Old Gods of varying potency at play here. There's Horned Head, who seems to be an avatar of something terrible, yes, but bound by laws. Lawful Evil, if you will. Whereas there may be something else out there, exemplified by the raucous disorder of the possessed miners, the awful violence of the school house, what happened to Carol Anne and her house. Something Chaotic Evil I guess. I might be reading way too much into that.
But the ability of Horned Head to be bargained with, restrained, and ultimately defeated reminds me of a very humanistic Neil Gaiman-esque style of mythology. I guess I just like my Lovecraftian horrors to be even worse lol.
7) None of the above thoughts or critiques will stop me from listening to the rest of the podcast. And none of them should be taken seriously by anyone at all, ever. They most DEFINITELY should not stop you from listening, if you're just looking for input before you start. The story is overall superb, and it's completely unique as far as I can tell. It is well worth the time spent listening, and I want lots more.

I’m traveling through Tennessee and North Carolina, is there an app or space that has an outline of ecstatic events being held in the area?

I live in North Carolina and I was wondering if I get a medical card here would I be able to get flower in Michigan using that card?

​
https://preview.redd.it/0nhzohtskt4b1.jpg?width=2000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2bfd03a1d8046dacbb08396d992ccbfddce4295b

Hearts and minds, under attack? — The risks of e-cigarettes and advertisements.

By BlueEarlGrey 8th June, 2023
Over the past decade, a new smoking trend has undoubtedly taken the world by storm: electronic cigarettes, or ‘e-cigarettes’. These battery-powered devices have gained significant popularity, especially amongst young people, offering an alternative to traditional tobacco smoking. Unsurprisingly, e-cigarettes have sparked both enthusiasm and controversy, raising questions about their safety, efficacy, and their impact on public health. E-cigarettes in their process being battery-powered devices, heat up a liquid solution containing nicotine, flavorings, and other chemicals, producing an aerosol (commonly referred to as vapor) for inhalation. Unlike conventional cigarettes, e-cigarettes do not burn tobacco, which eliminates the combustion and smoke associated with traditional smoking. This has led to e-cigarettes in their origins to be promoted as a safer and healthier alternative for traditional tobacco cigarettes. Whilst this is true with many health services offering e-cigarettes as a means to wean off tobacco smoking, in recent years have we seen these once noble aims be brought into question of safety and impact to public health as the development of consumer behaviour and commercialisation of the products revealed uneasy truths.
The commercialisation of e-cigarettes can very much explain itself in the corporate environment they reside in. Did you know that vaping companies such as ‘Blu’ and ‘10 Motives’ are actually owned by Big Tobacco? Funnily enough this correlation does not end there and quite a few vaping brands are owned by the tobacco companies they’re trying to steer customers away from. The e-cigarette industry is undoubtedly owned very much by dominant tobacco companies. From 2012, the e-cigarette industry’s rapid rise subsequently saw landsweeping purchases of once perhaps noble origins, into the hands of big tobacco companies. Whether it is through subsidiaries or direct ownership and operations, the hand of the tobacco industry remains an inseparable fact in how Governments ought to address the market too.
Government Action on Advertisement
Which is why the spurring of the debate of e-cigarettes in Parliament is the Government’s proposed bill to ban the advertisement of the product with the ‘Advertisement of Vape Products (Regulation) Bill’ currently making its way through the House of Commons. The current second reading of the session has seen statements in favour of the proposal from members of the Conservatives, the Liberal Democrats, and the Pirate Party, whilst Solidarity members have opposed the move by the Government, unsurprisingly.
One of the primary concerns associated with e-cigarette advertising is its impact on young people. Aggressive marketing campaigns, often featuring attractive models and enticing flavours such as ‘peach ice’, have drawn the attention of adolescents, young adults and even the elderly old Cornishmen. The result has been a disturbing increase in e-cigarette use among this demographic, with potential long-term consequences for their health and well-being. The nature that the Government has went about this is very paternalistic, echoing Disraelian one-nation Conservatism, for what it believes is in the public interest, and it would be right to do. It is undeniable that young people are often vulnerable and susceptible to influence from advertisement that embeds itself through the use of celebrities, public figures, influencers and social trends. The rationale behind the policy can be explained in which by banning the advertisement of e-cigarettes, the exposure of young people to these products can be limited and can curb their curiosity and experimentation. Restricting advertising would help counter the glamorisation of vaping (as a result of usage and promotion by the aforementioned celebrities, public figures, influencers and trends) and prevent e-cigarettes from becoming a gateway to nicotine addiction and traditional cigarette smoking.
Advertising targeting young people?

As of 2016, about 80% of U.S. middle- and high-school students reported to have came across advertisements for e-cigarettes, says a March 16, 2018, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly report, “Exposure to Electronic Cigarette Advertising Among Middle and High School Students—United States, 2014–2016.”
About 70% of these students saw e-cigarette advertising in retail stores, with roughly 40% that saw the ads on the internet or on TV, and about 25% saw e-cigarette ads in newspapers or magazines.

It is clear that the focus of e-cigarettes and their advertising is linked to the popularisation and commercialisation of the products towards younger audiences, whether directly or even indirectly. The banning e-cigarette advertising as policy is argued to discourage non-smokers, including younger people, from starting e-cigarette use and protect them from potential risks. Informed decision-making regarding personal health choices requires access to unbiased information, and limiting advertising can prevent misleading commercialised claims that may downplay the risks associated with e-cigarettes.
Exiting regulations actions against e-cigarettes very much reflects that the opponents will tend to be those in the pockets of the tobacco industry. Which certainly places into question the intentions and goals of opposing members of Parliament to the Government’s plans. Case in point being the European Union has remained a strong bulwark against the advertisement of e-cigarettes with its update to the Tobacco Products Directive, which brought e-cigarettes under the strict regulatory umbrella in 2016. Whilst it was challenged, however, by several important players in the tobacco industry -- the revised directive bans menthol flavorings (that typically aim to appeal to young people’s and imposes other restrictions some were not happy with, as well as the parent company of major UK e-cig retailer ‘Totally Wicked’. In any case, as far as the EU is concerned, if you want to sell a product containing an addictive substance, then prepare to be regulated, which is very much the tone the United Kingdom should take.
The Case for Regulation
In such a short time period, the e-cigarette market has experienced rapid growth, with numerous brands and products available. However, regulations and quality control measures have struggled to keep pace with this expansion. This lack of regulatory oversight can lead to inconsistencies in product safety and quality, increasing the risk of harmful substances or faulty devices reaching consumers. With how varied sources of production and their range of availability are, the lack of oversight and regulation has allowed the ease of access to these products at cheap prices and poor quality, inducing greater risk to public safety and consumer health.
Government action against e-cigarettes are very much reinforced with the economic concept of e-cigarettes being a ‘demerit good’. Demerit goods being where their consumption is regarded as unhealthy, degrading or otherwise socially undesirable as a result of the perceived negative effects on the consumers themselves, where there would be overconsumption of left to natural market forces.
Whilst e-cigarettes are often marketed as a less harmful alternative to traditional smoking, there is undeniably growing concern about their long-term health effects. While they may pose fewer risks compared to combustible tobacco products, e-cigarettes still contain nicotine, an addictive substance. Nicotine addiction can lead to various health issues, including increased heart rate, elevated blood pressure, and potential harm to the developing brains of young individuals. The inclusion of nicotine within the product is what places it entirely comparable to tobacco in how the Government ought to regulate the industry. As the elasticity of demand is very much negative (price inelastic) especially due to the nicotine additive, for the Government to not regulate this market would be allowing the greater exploitation of impressionable individuals and increased consumption of a demerit good.
Risks of e-cigarettes
The consumption of e-cigarettes, being a demerit good, have been argued to create further external costs that are not borne directly by the individual user. These costs may include increased burdens on healthcare systems due to nicotine addiction-related health issues or the potential for future generations to bear the consequences of increased tobacco use resulting from e-cigarette initiation. In assessing the necessity of regulation, the policy from the Government very much has taken into account the social costs and public health risks already present.
Comparatively, as recognised, they are advertised as the ‘healthier’ alternative to tobacco, but many are quick to cite the relative infancy of e-cigarettes for supposedly invalid and misleading studies and assumptions. That is very much not the case, proponents of vape culture do tend to obscure if not dismiss the science and facts on the matter, but ought to be informed of the very present dangers it already has and is having on societies.
The Inhalation of Harmful Chemicals Can Cause Irreversible Lung Damage and Lung Disease

(Findings by the American Lung Association)
In January 2018, the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine1 released a consensus study report that reviewed over 800 different studies.
That report made clear: using e-cigarettes causes health risks. It concluded that e-cigarettes both contain and emit a number of potentially toxic substances. The Academies' report also states there is moderate evidence that youth who use e-cigarettes are at increased risk for cough and wheezing and an increase in asthma exacerbations.
Studies from the University of North Carolina found that the two primary ingredients contained within e-cigarettes — propylene glycol and vegetable glycerin — are toxic to cells and that the more ingredients in an e-liquid, the greater the toxicity.
E-cigarettes in their current form produce a number of dangerous chemicals including acetaldehyde, acrolein, and formaldehyde. These aldehydes can cause lung disease, as well as cardiovascular (heart) disease. They were further found to also contain acrolein, a herbicide primarily used to kill weeds. Which can cause acute lung injury and Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and may cause asthma and lung cancer.
Both the U.S. Surgeon General and the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine have warned about the risks of inhaling secondhand e-cigarette emissions, which are created when an e-cigarette user exhales the chemical cocktail created by e-cigarettes.
2016, the Surgeon General concluded that secondhand emissions contain, "nicotine; ultrafine particles; flavorings such as diacetyl, a chemical linked to serious lung disease; volatile organic compounds such as benzene, which is found in car exhaust; and heavy metals, such as nickel, tin, and lead."
Even the US Food and Drug Administration has not found any e-cigarette to be “safe” and effective in helping smokers quit.

Cases of lung injury associated with e-cigarette consumption

(Data obtained by February 2020)
A total of 2,807 lung related cases of hospitalisation across all 50 states resulting from the use of e-cigarettes/vaping products.
A total of 68 deaths confirmed in 29 US States.
Laboratory data showed that vitamin E acetate, an additive within e-cigarettes/vape products, were strongly linked to the cases of lung injury with many tests finding the chemical present in fluids extracted.
The CDC itself recommends that youths, young adults, and pregnant women should not use E-cigarettes or vapes containing nicotine and acetate.

The risks of e-cigarettes are very present, numerous studies will affirm the Government’s position, and very much growing public awareness, on why regulatory action needs to be taken.
So why not just ban e-cigarettes entirely?
The main reason as to why the Government has seemingly taken to restrict but not outlaw the e-cigarette industry, is because there is a useful lesson to follow in that of tobacco. The laws of supply and demand, in which a banning of the industry altogether would only see the creation of a black market. The demand for the product, especially being inelastic, would persist this, added with the containing of the addictive, nicotine, consumer demand.
Banning the advertisement of e-cigarettes would align with existing laws aimed at curbing tobacco advertising. The Policy places e-cigarettes on parity to that of tobacco in regards to regulated ban on advertising in the Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act, 2002, and the Health Act, 2009. The very laws against the tobacco industry were put in place to protect public health, particularly the health of young people, by reducing the promotion of addictive and harmful substances. That is why Bright Blue very much recommends that e-cigarettes should be subject to similar scrutiny, considering the potential risks they pose, especially for non-smokers.
Concluding Recommendations
Moving forward, it is further recommended the Government ought to to equally adapt the arguments made on the opposing side about the benefits in e-cigarettes being used as potential harm reduction tools for current smokers. The proposed policy banning commercial advertisement is most apt with this, as by strengthening the current laws to fully support the use of e-cigarettes It is also advocated that the policy of an advertisement ban would encourage responsible use and regulation of the products. Rather than relying on persuasive marketing tactics, individuals ought to be informed about the potential risks and benefits of e-cigarettes through reliable sources such as public health campaigns and educational initiatives, and not commercialised advertising. This approach is argued to foster responsible decision-making and empowers consumers to make informed choices regarding their health.
Similar to the European Union’s actions against e-cigarettes and many other nations, Bright Blue very much endorses the idea of Government imposing a ban on certain flavours being produced in e-cigarettes. If their origins and potential for social benefit truly is in to weed off tobacco smokers, then the necessity of an ever expanding list of sickenly sweet and commercialising flavorings are simply superficial. Last term, Parliament saw the introduction an attempt for Plain Packaging Laws within the UK on e-cigarettes. Whilst this bill was withdrawn, it is very much a policy in support of, and believed to mitigate the harmful effects and risk of the products.
Already the move to ban advertisements for e-cigarettes has been expressed not just by countries and medical professionals, but even corporations themselves. The corporations that own CNN, CBS, TNT, TBS and other major broadcasting brands have announced that they will not air advertisements amid growing public concerns and the studies shown on the risks of e-cigarettes and how advertisements can promote them. The decision by the Government to make a move that is recommended by professionals, acted on by corporations and even shown to have high public support is a decision that has been made in the interest of public health and market parity.

https://www.reuters.com/world/china-post-spy-facility-cuba-off-southeastern-us-wsj-2023-06-08/
WASHINGTON, June 8 (Reuters) - China has reached a secret deal with Cuba to establish an electronic eavesdropping facility on the island roughly 100 miles (160 km) from Florida, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, citing U.S. officials familiar with classified intelligence.
Such a spy installation would allow Beijing to gather electronic communications from the southeastern U.S., which houses many U.S. military bases, as well as monitor ship traffic, the newspaper reported.
The U.S. Central Command headquarters is based in Tampa. Fort Liberty, formerly Fort Bragg, the largest U.S. military base, is based in North Carolina.
The countries have reached an agreement in principle, the officials said, with China to pay Cuba "several billion dollars" to allow the eavesdropping station, according to the Journal.
“I cannot speak to this specific report, but we are well aware of – and have spoken many times to – the People’s Republic of China’s efforts to invest in infrastructure around the world that may have military purposes, including in this hemisphere," John Kirby, spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, said in a statement.
"We monitor it closely, take steps to counter it, and remain confident that we are able to meet all our security commitments at home, in the region, and around the world," he said.
A spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington said: "We are not aware of the case and as a result we can't give a comment right now."
The Cuban government did not respond to a request for comment. But veteran Cuban diplomat Jose Cabanas, former ambassador to the U.S., wrote in a tweet that Washington was “trying to demonize Cuba again." He did not elaborate.
The agreement between the two U.S. rivals, both ruled by communist governments, has caused alarm in President Joe Biden's administration, the newspaper said, posing a new threat close to America's shores. The Journal said U.S. officials declined to provide more details about the proposed location of the listening station or whether construction had begun. I
The reported deal comes as Washington and Beijing are taking tentative steps to soothe tensions that spiked after a suspected Chinese high-altitude spy balloon crossed the United States before the U.S. military shot it down off the East Coast in February.
It could also raise questions about a trip to China that U.S. officials say Secretary of State Antony Blinken is planning in coming weeks. Washington's top diplomat had earlier scrapped the visit over the spy balloon incident.
Ties have deteriorated over disputes ranging from military activity in the South China Sea and near Taiwan, Beijing's human rights record, and technology competition.
'DIRECT ASSAULT'
U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, Democratic chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a Cuba hawk, said if the report is true, it would be “a direct assault upon the United States.”
“So I hope the administration will think about how they'll react, if it’s true," he told reporters.
A former U.S. intelligence official said on condition of anonymity that a Chinese listening post would be a “big deal,” marking an expansion of Beijing's spying capabilities and giving it access to signals intelligence as far north as Washington.
If such a facility is built, the Chinese will use Cuba "as a beachhead for collection against the United States," said
Daniel Hoffman, a former senior CIA undercover officer.
However, the U.S. has a long history of spying on China in its own neighborhood. It is widely reported to have used Taiwan as a listening post for the mainland and regularly flies spy planes in the South China Sea, angering Beijing.
The head of Taiwan’s National Security Bureau told the island’s parliament in April that Taiwan was conducting real-time encrypted intelligence sharing with Five Eyes partners, which includes the U.S.
A cash infusion would likely be welcomed in Cuba, where the economy is sputtering and inflation, fuel shortages, plunging farm production and a cash crunch continue to fan discontent.
Relations between Washington and Havana remain strained. The Biden administration last year partially rolled back some Trump-era restrictions on remittances and travel to the island, but Cuban officials called the steps insufficient.
The intelligence on the agreement was gathered in recent weeks and was convincing, the Journal reported. The officials said it would allow China to conduct signals intelligence, including emails, phone calls and satellite transmission.
Cuba, an old Cold War foe of the United States, has long been a hotbed of espionage and spy games.
The Cuban missile crisis in 1962 began after Moscow began placing Soviet nuclear weapons on the island. It backed down and removed the missiles, but it is widely regarded as the moment when the United States and the Soviet Union came closest to a nuclear confrontation.
The Soviets installed a spy base on the island at Lourdes, just south of Havana, in the mid-1960s, with parabolic antennas aimed at Cuba´s northern neighbor. Russian President Vladimir Putin closed the facility in the early 2000s.

22 Blue in 2022: 'THE LIST'

Build Supermajorities of Democrats in the US House and US Senate

Here’s “22 Blue in 2022: ‘A Quick List’”:

1. Florida 2. Ohio 3. Kansas 4. North Carolina 5. Kentucky 6. Arizona7. South Carolina 8. Georgia 9. Texas 10. Michigan 11. Nevada 12. Pennsylvania13. Missouri 14. Wisconsin 15. Iowa 16. Arkansas 17. Oklahoma 18. Indiana19. Colorado 20. Alabama 21. South Dakota 22. North Dakota

The 2022 Midterm Election is the most important midterm of our lifetime.Democrats must behave as if our lives depend on this midterm, because our future depends on the outcome.
”We the people” must deny the Republican party political power at every level of government for decades to come “in order to create a more perfect union.” With 48 States having some statewide contest(s), November 8th, 2022 is our best chance the Democrats will get to do that for the rest of this decade, at least.
”The List” encourages the election of a Democratic Supermajority in the US Senate in 2022. This is the best chance we will have to create a Democratic Supermajority in both Chambers of Congress for the remainder of this decade. This midterm could be a devastating loss for the democrats if good patriots ignore this election. If Americans of good conscience band together instead, we could could begin the exile of the Republican party from power, not for years, but for decades to come.
“The List” is a set of suggestions about where to focus collective activism today.
The election of Democratic Supermajorities to both chambers of the US Congress is the best outcome we can strive towards in the 2022 Midterm Election for many reasons. Among them: breaking the decade of gridlock in Congress, supporting President Biden’s agenda, and his re-election in 2024. My personal favorite is that this could commence the decades-long political banishment of the GOP from power, which the Republican Party so richly deserves.
The Republican party has proved itself treasonous on many levels. They are traitors to Humanity by supporting Trump. Traitors to the Nation for supporting Putin. Traitors to the government and betrayers of the constitution through their apologies for the 1/6/21 insurrection. To safeguard our country and the world, we must block the Republicans from power at the ballot box, at all levels of government, for at least a generation.
Political game playing may be inevitable among humans. Change the numbers, and then change the rules, if not the game. Cynical refusal to play at this time in history cedes power to NAZIs manipulated by Active Measures. That is a surrender to crypto fascism, not radical thinking, mere cynicism, or hipsterism.
In 2022, Patriots must unify to crush the Republican Party at the ballot box. We can defeat them in every State, at every level. We need the biggest turnout at the voting booth of any Midterm ever. We need to raise more money for candidates and organizations than we did during the entire 2020 campaign season if we are to accomplish this. We need to do this in the next six months.
This is what a “Blue Tsunami” REALLY looks like.
Electing a Democratic Supermajority in Congress is our hope for the future and retribution for America’s enemies. “22 Blue in 2022” is a roadmap to the beginning of that journey. “22 Blue in 2022” is our war plan. ”22 Blue in 2022” is our electoral battle cry. “22 Blue in 2022” is a way forward out of gridlock, a way to non-violently thwart those who would poison the body politic with their hate.
If we don’t try this hard in 2022, Trump will go unpunished and metastasize by 2024.
Resist In Power, my sisters, my brothers, and my others.
Resist Together, and elect a Congressional Supermajority in 2022!
See The “FULL 22 Bue in 2022 List”, With Dozens more links to the organizations and candidates that you can support to help Create a Democratic Congressional Supermajority in 2022!
National Democratic Organizations
Democratic National Committee (DNC): https://democrats.org/Donate Directly to the DNC: DNC DIRECT DONATIONS
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC): https://www.dscc.org/Donate Directly to the DSCC: DSCC DIRECT DONATIONS
2022 Senate Republican Target Races: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/2022senatetargets
​
Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC): www.dccc.orgDonate Directly to the DCCC: DCCC DIRECT DONATIONS
Democratic Governors Association (DGA): https://democraticgovernors.org/Donate Directly to the DGA: DGA DIRECT DONATIONS
ALL Links are to party organizations, candidates, voter groups, voting information, and navigation within this site. There may be additions or subtractions over the course of the campaign. No portion of any donations to any of the candidates or organizations listed above goes to “22 Blue in 2022.” We take none of it! All donations through “22 Blue in 2022: The List” will be tax deductible unless otherwise noted at the destination site.
WITH THESE EXCEPTIONS: The “Donate” button at the top right of each page (“Donate” is Substack’s designation, not in my control) AND these links below, which each Support “22 Blue in 2022”:
Buy a $2.22 Weekly subscription and Become a “22 Blue in 2022” Precinct Captain Buy a $22.22 Monthly subscription and Become part of the “22 Blue in 2022” Squad Buy a $222.22 Annual Subscription and join our “22 Blue in 2022” Steering Committee Buy a $2222.22 Annual Subscription and Become a “22 Blue in 2022” Founder
Subscriptions/Donations to “22 Blue in 2022” ARE NOT Tax Deductible!

Check out our full Durham events calendar.
If you'd like to add an event to our calendar, submit an event here. Please check with the event organizers to see if events change due to weather. Have a great weekend!

American Dance Festival

BODYTRAFFIC at Reynolds Industries Theater

• Widely acclaimed for its “peerless dancers” who “can do it all from hip-hop to ballet” (LA Dance Chronicle), the company is composed of artists who received their training at some of the finest schools throughout the world, and its smashing repertory includes the works of renowned contemporary choreographers.
• Thu, Jun 8 at 7:00 p.m.
• Sat, Jun 10 at 7:30 p.m.
• $27-43

2023 ADF Fête at Parizäde

• Dance the night away with BODYTRAFFIC and enjoy delicious food and drinks.
• Thu, Jun 8 at 9:00 p.m.
• $150

Rennie Harris Puremovement American Street Dance Theater at Page Auditorium

• The acclaimed work Nuttin’ But A Word by Rennie Harris pushes the boundaries of street dance vocabulary and forces its audience to view street dance through a different lens. Challenging the viewer’s perspective of street dance or Hip-hop dance and its culture, Nuttin’ But A Word takes you on a dramatic and abstract journey while twisting, matching, juxtaposing, and pulling vocabulary and music in ways unimaginable. Harris chooses to end this work in a traditional Hip-hop celebration, which Africanists may refer to as the Bantaba.
• Friday, Jun 9 at 7:30 p.m. ($30-45)
• Saturday, Jun 10 at 1:00 p.m. (Children’s Matinee - $12)

Multi-Day Event

Triangle Restaurant Week

• A week-long celebration of culinary excellence designed to incorporate the premier Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill and surrounding area restaurants
• Participating restaurants offer special three-course menu options and fixed pricing
• No reservations, tickets, or passes are required
• Today - Jun 11
• $20-50

Venue Weekend Schedules

Events at DPAC

• Thu, Jun 8 at 7:30 p.m. - Indigo Girls with Full Band
• Fri, Jun 9 at 7:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. - Shane Gillis

Events at The Carolina Theatre

• Fri, Jun 8 at 8:00 p.m. - The Monti: Freak
• Sat, Jun 10 at 9:00 a.m., 12:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m., 6:00 p.m. - Dancing Through the Decades

Events at The Pinhook

• Fri, Jun 9 at 9:00 p.m. - Severed Fingers / Austin Lucas / DJ Melanoma
• Sat, Jun 10 at 8:00 p.m. - Burlesque: The Rainbow Connection – Boom Boom’s Big Gay B-day Review
• Sat, Jun 10 at 10:00 p.m. - No Visa X The Conjure
• Sun, Jun 11 at 8:00 p.m. - Kym Register + Meltdown Rodeo / Tami Hart / Dunums

Events at Motorco Music hall

• Thu, Jun 8 at 6:00 p.m. - Drag Trivia

Events at The Fruit

• Fri, Jun 9 from 2:00am - Sat, 10 2:00am - SUB: Terranean
• Fri, Jun 9 from 10:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m. - HOUSE OF HER : An All Girls Pride Party
• Sat, Jun 10 from 9:00pm - 2:00 a.m. - Cosmic Gate

Live Music at Blue Note Grill

• Fri, Jun 9 at 6:00 p.m. - The Duke Street Dogs
• Fri, Jun 9 at 9:15 p.m. - Crones of Anarchy
• Sat, Jun 10 at 7:30 p.m. - Addison's Playworld / Durham High Get-Together

Events at Moon Dog Meadery

• Thursdays - Free Board Games
• Thu, Jun 8 at 7:00 p.m. - Trivia
• Fri, Jun 9 at 8:00 p.m. - 2nd Friday Blues Dance Night
• Sat, Jun 10 at 8:00 p.m. - An Offering to Bragi

Live Music at Sharp 9 Gallery

• Fri, Jun 9 at 8:00 p.m. - Angela Bingham w/Jim Ketch Quintet
• Sat, Jun 10 at 8:00 p.m. - Frankie Alexander Quartet

Events at Arcana

• Thu, Jun 8 - Pridechata and Tarot with Rene
• Fri, Jun 9 - Queer Joy: A Party and Fundraiser for Bodily Autonomy and Tarot with Virginia
• Sat, Jun 10 - Tarot with Heiltje
• Sun, Jun 11 - Jay Hammond & Quran Karriem and Tarot with Emily

Events at Rubies on Five Points

• Thu, Jun 8 at 8:30 p.m. - Step Friends with Gentle Junior, Megabitch
• Fri, Jun 9 at 10:00 p.m. - Renaissance Disko Presents: Body Tempo
• Sat, Jun 10 at 9:00 p.m. - Shallow Cuts: Mad Mix Beyond Thunderpop!

Events at Durty Bull Brewing Company

• Thu, Jun 1
  • 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. - Food Truck: Tacos Mama Chava
  • 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. - Thursday Trivia with Nick
• Fri, Jun 2
  • 5:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. - Food Truck: Tacos Paradise
  • 8:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m. - Open Mic Stand-up Comedy
• Sat, Jun 3
  • 12:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. - Food Truck: My Taste of Caribbean
  • 12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. - Durty Dog Day
  • 4:00 p.m - 6:00 p.m. - Live Music: Peridot Sun
  • 6:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m. - Bull Durham Screening Series
• Sun, Jun 4
  • 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. - MotoGP Watch Party
  • 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. - Hammered Trivia with Thor

Live Comedy at Mettlesome

• Thu, Jun 8 at 7:30 p.m. - The Uproar, a sketch comedy show
• Thu, Jun 8 at 9:00 p.m. - Standup Comedy Open Mic
• Fri, Jun 9 at 7:30 p.m. - The Uproar, a sketch comedy show
• Fri, Jun 9 at 9:00 p.m. - Well Seasoned
• Sat, Jun 10 at 6:00 p.m. - Improv 101 Graduation Showcase
• Sat, Jun 10 at 8:00 p.m. - The Racket - Pride Edition!
• Sat, Jun 10 at 9:00 p.m. - Sounds Gay, I'm In
• Sat, Jun 10 at 10:00 p.m. - The Alphabet Hour

Events at Glass Jug Beer Lab in RTP

• Thu, Jun 8 from 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. - Beer Garden Jam Sessions
• Fr, Jun 9 from 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. - RTP Food Truck Fridays
• Sat, Jun 10 from 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. - Beer Garden Jam Sessions

Events at Glass Jug Beer Lab in Downtown Durham

• Thu, Jun 8 from 7:00 p.m. - 9:30 p.m. - Live Music in the Taproom
• Jun 8-11 from 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. - Weekend Food Trucks

Thursday, Jun 8

Thirsty Thursdays at Dashi

• Each month Dashi's Thirsty Thursday drink specials revolve around a monthly theme – spirits, cocktails, special ingredients, brand, location, etc. – with new sips every Thursday. Learn more about upcoming themes on their website or visit them in person – there's always something new to try from their expansive bar!
• 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Vinyl Night with DJ Deckades at Gizmo Brew Works

• Enjoy fresh vibes on the patio with DJ Deckades. Bring your own vinyl to share or just listen to what the DJ is spinning.
• 6:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
• Free admission

Boulders & Brews Meetup at Triangle Rock Club - Durham

• Show up and climb at TRC Durham, then head over to Hi-Wire for some brews. Don't worry if it's your first time or haven't bouldered before; everyone's welcome.
• Your first visit to the gym with the Meetup includes free admission and gear rental, and subsequent visits with the meetup are $15 and include harness rental (outside of meetups, day pass rates of $19 apply and do not include rentals).
• 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.

Trivia Night w/Big Slow Tom at Clouds Brewing Brightleaf Square

• Join Clouds Durham for Big Slow Tom's Trivia Night, every Thursday. Win some prizes, drink some beer, and show your smarts.
• Enjoy $4 select draft and $5 rotating bartender's choice all night.
• 7:30 p.m.
• Free admission

Friday, Jun 9

Tasting at Ten at Counter Culture Coffee

• Every Friday morning at 10 am, Counter Culture Coffee opens their Training Centers to coffee lovers who want to learn more about Counter Culture Coffee’s high-quality, sustainably sourced menu.
• 10:00 a.m.
• Free, but donations accepted

Saturday, Jun 10

Durham Farmers’ Market at Durham Central Park

• The Durham Farmers’ Market offers locally grown fruits and vegetables, meats, eggs, cut flowers, artisanal cheeses and breads, home-baked pies, honey, handmade chocolates, preserves, local wines, handmade soaps, fresh pasta, and artwork of all sorts!
• 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
• Free admission

South Durham Farmers' Market at Greenwood Commons Shopping Center

• The market strives to support new and growing farms and vendors in the greater Durham area, and they are also home to some of the most iconic Durham brands around.
• 8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
• Free admission

parkrun Durham at Southern Boundaries Park

• A free, fun, and friendly weekly 5k community event. Walk, jog, run, volunteer, or spectate. It's up to you!
• 8:00 a.m.
• Free admission

Crafternoons at Gizmo Brew Works

• Free pint with purchase of craft box. Choose from a variety of craft packages available for all ages.
• 12:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Sunday, Jun 11

Al Strong Presents Jazz Brunch at Alley Twenty Six

• Al Strong, the Grammy-nominated jazz trumpeter, composer and recording artist, will bring a rotating lineup of musicians to perform during Sunday brunch at Durham's Alley Twenty Six. Weather permitting the band will perform in the bar’s namesake alley.
• Brunch from 10:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
• Music 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Food Truck Rodeo at Durham Central Park

• Most trucks accept credit cards but an ATM machine is on site as well. Free parking is available in nearby lots. Bring a blanket or a lawn chair so you can enjoy a relaxing and enjoyable Durham afternoon with friends and family.
• 12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
• Free admission

Public Tour at Duke Chapel

• Learn about the history, architecture, and life of Duke Chapel in this tour, which is free and open to the public. The tour begins at 12:15 p.m., or immediately following the conclusion of the Sunday morning service, and lasts approximately forty-five minutes.
• No reservation is required but if you plan to bring a large group please notify us in advance. Meet the docent on the front steps of the Chapel.
• Paid parking is available on a first come, first served basis in the Bryan Center Parking Lot at 125 Science Drive. ADA parking is available in the Bryan Center Surface Lot at the same address.
• 12:15 p.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Trivia at Navigator Beverage Co.

• Hosted by the Triangle’s Trivia team, Hammered Trivia, gather your team and post up to compete for prizes and enjoy an afternoon of great drinks, great friends, and great games.
• 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
• Free admission

Running Art Exhibits

upstART Gallery: A Jim Lee Project at Pop Box Gallery

• upstART Gallery will host its first group show at Pop Box Gallery & The Art Chose Me’s residency in Old East Durham. The show features 27 artists who were selected through an open call review process. Artists were challenged to create work especially for this unique space, scaled 1:12 (one inch = one foot).
• Wed-Sat from 12:00 p.m - 6:00 p.m.
• Runs through Jul 1

Exhibit at 21c Museum Hotel

• Truth or Dare: A Reality Show
  • Runs through March 2024
• Open 24 hours
• Free admission

“Extra-Spectral” at the Durham Art Guild Truist Gallery

• This exhibit highlights several NC-based artists that, on the surface, use colors that are “extra” (which is where their commonality ends) to evoke their intent through a combination of this color with forms and imagery as well as the concepts embedded in color’s many identities. Artists Jane Cheek, Jerstin Crosby, Zach Storm, Tonya Solley Thornton and Leif Zikade all require color to play a primary role in their work and their relationship to an audience.
• Mon–Sat from 9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. and Sun from 1:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
• Runs through June 4
• Free admission

Donna Stubbs, Featured Artist at 5 Points Gallery

• 5 Points Gallery in downtown Durham introduces a new exhibit featuring the work of our member artist, Donna Stubbs. Donna uses an archaeological approach to painting, as she lovingly photographs her surroundings and unearths discarded items in thrift stores to create abstract mixed media works.
• Free admission

Chieko Murasugi & Renzo Ortega at Craven Allen Gallery

• An exhibition featuring both abstract and figurative works by two artists with international backgrounds. The SEQUENTIAL exhibition invites the observer on a visual journey, generating an organic relationship between the artworks and the gallery's visitors. Through the dynamics of color, form, ideas, and narratives, Chieko Murasugi and Renzo Ortega seek to generate a dialogue and the experience of art appreciation with the audience.
• Sat, May 20 at 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. - opening reception
• Runs through July 8

Spirit in the Land at the Nasher

• Spirit in the Land is a contemporary art exhibition that examines today’s urgent ecological concerns from a cultural perspective, demonstrating how intricately our identities and natural environments are intertwined. Through their artwork, 30 artists show us how rooted in the earth our most cherished cultural traditions are, how our relationship to land and water shapes us as individuals and communities
• Tue-Fri from 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Sun from 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
• Runs through Jul 9
• Free admission

Andy Warhol: You Look Good in Pictures at the Nasher

• Andy Warhol: You Look Good in Pictures explores the breadth of the artist’s relationship with photography through several distinct bodies of work including screenprints of celebrities, all of which were taken from photographs, a group of Polaroids and black and white snapshots illustrating his social circles, and an early silent film of the curator Henry Geldzahler from 1964.
• Tue-Fri from 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Sun from 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
• Runs through Aug 27
• Free admission

Art of Peru at the Nasher

• This gallery features ceramics, textiles, metalwork and carvings produced by ancient cultures across what is known as present-day Peru.
• Tue-Fri from 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Sun from 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
• Runs through Dec 2
• Free admission

This creature lives in the Void-Sea. A massive body of water in the limitless void region. Given that the realm is near-impossible to access, those lucky few who’ve made it to the Void, and then Void-Sea, might get the chance to meet this dragon up close.
Much of this creature is shrouded in mystery. It has only thrice been seen by a team of research druids from the Grey Clan, and only once by a lone explorer, who’s journal entry gave little details. Those who’ve seen it describe it as a dragon or as one put it “A dragon-beast appearance.” More studies will be needed to give it an official title.
What is known, however, is that it uses its bioluminescence in erratic patterns, pulsating along its body and it’s sail-like fins. The lights flash slowly and then pick up speed…then stop altogether, making the beast appear almost completely black. The antennae twist in slow-delicate motions suggesting that they might its primary source of attracting prey…
It was never seen for any significant length of time. It was never observed eating, or sleeping, or roaming any habitat other than the rocky spires of the Sea’s north-side. Researches said It appeared to to detect their presence almost from the point of encounter. No matter how many spells they used to conceal their presence, it would always flee when approached.
“We spent 6 days tailing the creature. In that time, we were not able to deduce any of its habits other than its use of agility and light display. It uttered a sound much like a hum which shook us all to the core. It fled for the last time on our final day of the expedition. I should like to study it more.” - Lead Researcher of the Grey Druids
”It lit the spires with a burning violet and green. I sat there, under a rock, mesmerized but the site of it. Its tendrils danced, ceaselessly and with purpose. Hunting? Mating? I cannot know. I just know I cannot take my eyes off it.” -Journal entry found on the corpse of an adventurer.

It's always been a dream of mine to go to school in a different state, meet new people, etc. i've been looking at Florida for PA school, but some of the more prestigious schools are in Texas, GA, and North Carolina.
Does it really matter or affect my future that significantly if i go to a school in Tampa, FL vs Baylor, TX?

So I was FINALLY able to get my pharmacy to order my prescription yesterday. They looked it up through Cardinal and the system said "Low Inventory" but she ordered it anyway and waiting to see if it comes in today.
Is this good news? Does this mean they have some in stock at the Cardinal warehouse that my pharmacy uses? Should I expect anymore issues to arise from this?
Also, thanks to everyone on this sub for their guidance.
SN: I'm in North Carolina.

Hey there! I'm Matt, 29/M.
Moved to North Carolina from NJ in late October and I'm finally settled here so I'm looking to find some folks to hang out with or if they're not local, shoot the shit on Discord, etc.
Hobbies and interests:
* Cooking
* Watching and Collecting Movies
* Gaming
* Writing
* Reading
* Hiking
* History/Historical Sites.
* Chilling with my dog.
Chat me and let's be friends!

Hey there! I'm Matt, 29/M.
Moved to North Carolina from NJ in late October and I'm finally settled here so I'm looking to find some folks to hang out with or if they're not local, shoot the shit on Discord, etc.
Hobbies and interests:

• Cooking
• Watching and Collecting Movies
• Gaming
• Writing
• Reading
• Hiking
• History/Historical Sites.
• Chilling with my dog.

Chat me and let's be friends!

https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/june-7-2023
Three more candidates have entered the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination this week. Former vice president Mike Pence, former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, and current North Dakota governor Doug Burgum join former South Carolina governor and Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, South Carolina senator Tim Scott, Florida governor Ron DeSantis, former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson, as well as a few others and former president Donald Trump in their hope of winning the nomination.
Taken together, the different candidates offer a window into the current Republican Party. Haley and DeSantis are embracing the cultural issues to which the Trump base is wedded. At a CNN town hall on Sunday, Haley singled out transgender girls as one of her key issues, linking (without any evidence) their presence on girls’ sports teams to an April study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that showed a rise in the number of teenaged girls contemplating self-harm between 2019 and 2021, years that covered the height of the pandemic. (In fact, LGBTQ teenagers have a higher rate of thoughts of self-harm than their straight, gender-conforming peers.)
DeSantis has reached for the Trump base by focusing on immigration. That focus has backfired as unlawful border crossings have dropped more than 70% since President Biden’s ending of the pandemic-related Title 42, and as a new Florida law designed to “scare people from coming to Florida” has resulted in immigrants, whose labor is vital to the state, leaving it.
Apparently trying to reclaim the narrative, in the last week, DeSantis has sent two charter flights taking migrants who have legally applied for asylum in the U.S. from the Texas border to Sacramento, California. While the DeSantis administration claims the migrants went “voluntarily,” they say they were tricked into thinking they would get work in California. One set of the migrants were dropped off outside the Catholic Archdiocese of Sacramento, which had not been alerted they were coming and was closed.
Pence, Hutchinson, and Christie are directly attacking Trump, Pence by saying the events of January 6, 2021, make Trump unfit to be president, Hutchinson by saying Trump should withdraw because of the criminal charges he’s facing, and Christie by attacking Trump and his family as grifters. At Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire yesterday, Christie reminded the audience: “Jared Kushner and Ivanka Kushner walk out of the White House and months later get $2 billion from the Saudis…. You think it’s because he’s some kind of investing genius? Or do you think it’s because he was sitting next to the President of the United States for four years doing favors for the Saudis?... That’s your money he stole and gave it to his family. You know what that makes us? A banana republic.”
Scott and Burgum seem to be trying to offer exhausted Republican voters a rest. Scott is trying to offer an optimistic vision of the United States amidst the apocalyptic narratives of his rivals, denying that systematic racism is a societal problem, for example, while Burgum’s chief attribute seems to be an embrace of pre-2016 Republicanism and a low-key presentation.
That scrum of Republican hopefuls—none of whom is polling well—is the backdrop to this evening’s story from Andrew Feinberg of the Independent that prosecutors from the Department of Justice are ready to ask a grand jury in Washington, D.C., to indict former president Trump on charges that he has violated the Espionage Act and obstructed justice.
Aside from anything else, the Espionage Act includes language that anyone who “willfully retains…any document, writing, code book, signal book, sketch, photograph, photographic negative, blueprint, plan, map, model, instrument, appliance, or note relating to the national defense, or information relating to the national defense which information the possessor has reason to believe could be used to the injury of the United States or to the advantage of any foreign nation… and fails to deliver it on demand to the officer or employee of the United States entitled to receive it” can be punished by as many as ten years in prison.
The story says the jury could vote as early as tomorrow, but it could also be delayed until next week, or beyond. It is worth remembering that this Department of Justice has not been known to leak, and that the sooner Trump is indicted—which certainly looks likely, at least in the case of the missing documents—the sooner his supporters can jump to another candidate, which might suggest a rival camp pushing the story that an indictment will come soon. That same calculation might have been part of what was behind Trump’s insistence to New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman that he has “NOT been told he’s getting indicted.” And, he added on Truth Social, “I shouldn’t be because I’ve done NOTHING wrong.”
Troubles in the Republican Party are not limited to the 2024 hopefuls. House Republicans continue to fight against House speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), angry over the budget deal under which he pushed through a measure to suspend the debt ceiling. McCarthy tried to head off their protests with a promise to establish a commission to cut Social Security and Medicare, but it was not enough. Yesterday, members of the House Freedom Caucus said they would not permit votes on anything until he put in writing what they believed was the deal he made to get their votes for the speakership; that revolt continued today.
Tonight, Jake Sherman of Punchbowl News reported that McCarthy appears to have agreed to let appropriators write bills that come in below the agreed-upon spending levels. Sherman’s colleague John Bresnahan noted: “The Fiscal Responsibility Act isn’t even a week old & Republicans in the House and Senate are already trying to redo it.”
In other news, CNN has parted ways with Chris Licht, its chief executive officer and chair, who had sought to move the network to what he considered the center of American politics. He had done so by highlighting “both sides” of today’s political arguments, firing leading journalists he thought too far on the left and centering Trump in a town hall that became the former president’s triumphant reentry to the political stage as he lied and bullied the interviewer. Some pundits have taken Licht’s fall as a sign that there is no longer a powerful center in American politics, but my own guess is the opposite: that most of us want news based in reality rather than media giving platforms to people who are openly lying.
Yale scholar of authoritarianism Timothy Snyder today applied this idea to coverage of the destruction of the Nova Kakhovka Dam in Ukraine, which has rained down humanitarian, ecological, and economic disaster on Ukrainians as they appear to be launching a counteroffensive to the Russian invasion of their country.
Snyder warned journalists not to “bothsides” the story by offering equal time to both sides. “What Russian spokespersons have said has almost always been untrue, whereas what Ukrainian spokespersons have said has largely been reliable. The juxtaposition suggests a false equality,” he wrote. “The story doesn't start at the moment the dam explodes. For the last fifteen months Russia has been killing Ukrainian civilians and destroying Ukrainian civilian infrastructure, whereas Ukraine has been trying to protect its people and the structures that keep them alive.” “Objectivity does not mean treating an event as a coin flip between two public statements,” he said. “It demands thinking about the objects and the settings that readers require for understanding amidst uncertainty.”
—
Notes:
https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/05/politics/nikki-haley-transgender-girls-teen-suicide/index.html
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/us-teen-girls-considered-attempting-suicide-2021-cdc/story?id=98901688
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/07/us/politics/pence-trump-2024-announcement.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/05/us/migrants-plane-sacramento-california.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/06/us/politics/desantis-florida-migrant-flights.html
https://www.businessinsider.com/florida-gop-lawmaker-urges-immigrants-stay-voted-anti-immigration-bill-2023-6
https://www.vox.com/politics/2023/6/6/23751345/tim-scott-view-race-systemic-racism-2024
https://www.vox.com/politics/2023/2/23/23611828/2024-republican-presidential-candidates-trump-christie-burgum
https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/18/793
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-indictment-espionage-prosecution-charges-b2353397.html
https://www.inforum.com/news/north-dakota/doug-burgum-is-mulling-a-run-for-president-could-he-be-a-contender-in-a-party-that-loves-trump
https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/07/media/chris-licht-cnn/index.html
https://newrepublic.com/post/173247/florida-republicans-admit-made-big-mistake-anti-immigrant-law
https://apnews.com/article/migrants-dropped-off-california-texas-florida-2ea4ea9cc6e976e97358c64bcae164f4
https://www.newsweek.com/ron-desantis-approval-rating-2024-polls-1805073
Twitter links:
sahilkapustatus/1666257940922212352
TimothyDSnydestatus/1666480705637851136
maggieNYT/status/1666515440300859392
therecount/status/1663935439873404929
JakeSherman/status/1666570060100427778
nicholaswu12/status/1666557296648900608
BeschlossDC/status/1666542112509231105

We placed on offer on an home in North Carolina on 05/21. Our offer was accepted on 05/23. Sellers asked to move closing up to 06/22. We agreed. We did a rate lock on 05/24. Since then we’ve gotten an inspection and submitted repair request, and our lender ordered the appraisal. We haven’t heard anything back from anyone. Tomorrow (6/09) was supposed to be the end of our due diligence period, but since we haven’t heard anything our realtor requested it be extended to next Friday (06/16), and thankfully the sellers agreed. Being two weeks out from closing, I thought we’d be further along in the underwriting process. We haven’t heard from a loan officer asking for more documents. We haven’t heard anything about the appraisal. We haven’t heard anything about the repair request. Is this normal?
Also, we requested that the sellers fix a part of the subfloor. The flashing at the back door between the door frame and deck was rusted and basically gone. So moisture got into the subfloor. It’s about a 2 foot by 6 inch portion of the subfloor that is rotted from moisture. If the sellers don’t agree to fix it, then we would want to get quotes from contractors to see if the house is still worth buying compared to the price to fix. But with this process moving so slow, I feel like we aren’t going to have time to wait on the sellers response and get quotes on that repair if the sellers don’t fix it.
It also doesn’t help that no one in my family understands this process. They all bought homes decades ago, so everything we do (that is considered normal in today’s market), they don’t understand. Just being a first time buyer, I am nervous about everything.

I'm a trans man currently living in a liberal part of north carolina. I'm at a point in my life where after I get top surgery (hopefully in the next 2 years) I want to put all my money and energy towards buying some kind of property or house (I'm super into alternative architecture like cob houses, earth sheltered or renovating an excisting structure etc so I would buy a funky place or undeveloped land). The problem is I don't want to buy in a place like this where my rights are constantly up in the air and I feel unwelcome outside of college towns. If I could afford land in Asheville or another really trans friendly part of the state I would.
So what towns or areas in any state in the US that are reasonably affordable (unlike my beloved Seattle where housing is crazy) AND have good trans protections? I know I can look up state by state laws but that doesn't give a real sense of the xombo of safe and livable that I'm looking for.