“Anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.'” - Isaac Asimov

If I were ever abducted by Aliens, the first thing I’d ask is whether they came from a planet where people also deny science.

National Park Service analysis finds that the firm given a no-bid contract for Trump's repair of the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool is being paid an inflated and excessive profit margin, @Fahrenthold reports. nytimes.com/2026/05/27/us/po…

Howard Lutnick came into office with one of the most complex disclosure forms we had ever seen, with more than 800 companies. An NYT review of those firms -- and their disputes -- sheds light on his freewheeling first year in government. with @mrothfeld nytimes.com/2026/05/28/nyreg…

Endlessly shifting goalposts and an increasingly violent ceasefire with Iran have created the perfect conditions for a new kind of forever war in the Middle East—a frozen conflict in which the only beneficiary may be Trump, himself. @juliaioffe reports: puck.news/how-the-iran-cease…

Endlessly shifting goalposts and an increasingly violent ceasefire with Iran have created the perfect conditions for a new kind of forever war in the Middle East—a frozen conflict in which the only beneficiary may be Trump, himself. @juliaioffe reports: puck.news/how-the-iran-cease…

In appeals court fight over the White House ballroom, DOJ says the federal government could quickly bulldoze the statute of liberty and no one would have standing to sue over the changes once the demolition is done.

The State Department spent Tuesday trying to convince diplomats that antifa is the new Al Qaeda—but Foggy Bottom isn’t buying it. @juliaioffe reports: puck.news/what-makes-antifa-…

The Trump administration is continuing to push the State Dept to go after "left-wing terrorist" abroad—and look for links to them at home. My latest. puck.news/what-makes-antifa-…

Inflation is so high that it's erasing all wage gains. Inflation: 4.2% in May for the past year Wage growth: 3.4% in May for the past year. Americans are getting squeezed financially. This isn't just "bad vibes" about the economy. There is real pain, especially for middle-class and lower-income households. It's tough because so many basic items are seeing sizable price increases: gas, electricity, food, medical care.

"For the past year, FIFA has leased an office on the 17th floor of New York’s Trump Tower that has sat all but empty. The rent goes to President Trump’s family business, but soccer officials say the space sits largely idle." nytimes.com/2026/06/09/world…

Iran’s Mehr news agency publishes the purported text of the draft agreement with Trump. It will keep the Strait of Hormuz under Iranian control, will promise Iran $300 billion in reconstruction money in addition to an immediate cash transfer of $24 billion, a suspension of sanctions and the withdrawal of U.S. forces from the Middle East. Also, a commitment not to bother Iran again about its missiles and proxies, and restraining Israel in Lebanon. The U.S. gets in exchange a pinky promise to respect the NPT. Let’s see what happens in coming days. Link: mehrnews.com/news/6857718 Full text: A permanent and immediate cessation of war on all fronts, including Lebanon. A U.S. commitment not to interfere in Iran’s internal affairs and to respect the sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Full lifting of the naval blockade within 30 days. A U.S. commitment to withdraw its forces from areas surrounding Iran. Reopening of the Strait of Hormuz within 30 days under arrangements determined by Iran. Suspension of sanctions on the sale of oil, petrochemical products, and related derivatives, along with full Iranian access to the resulting financial revenues. The United States and its allies would be required to present reconstruction plans for Iran worth at least $300 billion. A 60-day negotiation period aimed at reaching a final agreement covering nuclear issues and the complete removal of U.S. primary and secondary sanctions, as well as the repeal of relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council and the IAEA Board of Governors. Reaffirmation by Iran of its commitment under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) not to produce nuclear weapons. During the negotiation period, the United States would commit not to deploy additional forces to the region and not to impose any new sanctions. The release of $24 billion in frozen Iranian assets during the 60-day final negotiation period. Half of this amount must be made available to Iran before negotiations begin. Establishment of a monitoring mechanism to oversee implementation of the agreement. The final agreement would be approved through a UN Security Council resolution. Final negotiations would not begin before the release of half of Iran’s frozen assets, the suspension of oil sanctions, and the lifting of the naval blockade. The final agreement would focus exclusively on the future of enriched nuclear material and uranium enrichment, sanctions relief, and a program for rebuilding Iran’s economy. Discussion of Iran’s missile program and its support for resistance groups would be definitively excluded from the agenda. As stated by the Foreign Ministry spokesperson, this text still requires review and final approval by the relevant authorities in Iran.

I asked Barak Ravid if he's become the boy who cries “Iran deal.” “I am covering the news, okay?” he said. “The boy doesn’t cry ‘Iran deal.’ The boy says the guys who are working on the Iran deal are crying ‘Iran deal.’” My latest. puck.news/barak-ravids-direc…

This is the America I know and love.

Barak Ravid has become one of D.C.’s most well-wired reporters during the Iran war, leveraging a direct line to the White House into endless scoops about negotiations. But what happens when your best source is an unreliable narrator? @juliaioffe reports: puck.news/barak-ravids-direc…

RFK Jr has cut Alzheimers research. Alzheimers. One of the most devastating, urgent and increasing health problems we face today. He's not interested. He's a nasty piece of work.

This is just crime

The same people who said masks were "literally 1984" think this is fine.

Trump has won this war 7 times. He’s negotiated a peace settlement 12 times. And he’s opened the Strait of Hormuz at least 4 times. What more do you want from him?

So yesterday Donald Trump posted a video of him crashing Stephen Colbert's final show, and literally throwing him in the garbage, and of course, I had to FIX it.

FLAG: The Trump Justice Department is now acknowledging it has removed from its website news releases about criminal cases related to the Jan. 6 insurrection — calling the information about the prosecutions "partisan propaganda" (it is not). apnews.com/article/justice-d…