Reposted by Caitlin Nagel
I used "smooth-brained" as a dig until a father of a boy with lissencephaly -- the medical term for the condition -- wrote me an incredibly patient note to explain what his son had to deal with.
This phrase is a gratuitous insult to parents and children who are already suffering. Don't use it.
This phrase is a gratuitous insult to parents and children who are already suffering. Don't use it.
Finally, a Smooth-Brained Wuthering Heights
Emerald Fennell’s Emily Brontë adaptation is brave enough to just be about two messy bitches.
www.vulture.com
February 10, 2026 at 1:11 PM
I used "smooth-brained" as a dig until a father of a boy with lissencephaly -- the medical term for the condition -- wrote me an incredibly patient note to explain what his son had to deal with.
This phrase is a gratuitous insult to parents and children who are already suffering. Don't use it.
This phrase is a gratuitous insult to parents and children who are already suffering. Don't use it.
Reposted by Caitlin Nagel
Jawn (/jôn/)
A term used by New York transplants to pander to locals and/or cynically promote their recently opened boutique, restaurant, or bakery.
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/a-g...
A term used by New York transplants to pander to locals and/or cynically promote their recently opened boutique, restaurant, or bakery.
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/a-g...
A Glossary of Philadelphia Slang
Jawn (/jôn/) A term used by New York transplants to pander to locals and/or cynically promote their recently opened boutique, restaurant, or bakery...
www.mcsweeneys.net
January 27, 2026 at 4:21 PM
Jawn (/jôn/)
A term used by New York transplants to pander to locals and/or cynically promote their recently opened boutique, restaurant, or bakery.
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/a-g...
A term used by New York transplants to pander to locals and/or cynically promote their recently opened boutique, restaurant, or bakery.
www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/a-g...
Reposted by Caitlin Nagel
It was inevitable.
Amazon's Ring to partner with Flock, a network of AI cameras used by ICE, feds, and police | TechCrunch
Agencies that use Flock can request that Ring doorbell users share footage to help with "evidence collection and investigative work."
techcrunch.com
January 19, 2026 at 8:02 AM
It was inevitable.
Reposted by Caitlin Nagel
It’s ironic that they’re like “if we do ethnic cleansing we’ll have a high trust neighborly society” and then Minneapolis is literally doing high trust neighborly society and they’re like nooooo
Many Americans are terrible neighbors to each other, and that is why MN is striking everyone as extraordinary activism... when they are telling us that it is not. They're good neighbors!
It's no wonder that "being a shitty neighbor" is the hallmark of our domestic politics and our foreign policy.
It's no wonder that "being a shitty neighbor" is the hallmark of our domestic politics and our foreign policy.
January 18, 2026 at 6:24 PM
It’s ironic that they’re like “if we do ethnic cleansing we’ll have a high trust neighborly society” and then Minneapolis is literally doing high trust neighborly society and they’re like nooooo
Reposted by Caitlin Nagel
Many Americans are terrible neighbors to each other, and that is why MN is striking everyone as extraordinary activism... when they are telling us that it is not. They're good neighbors!
It's no wonder that "being a shitty neighbor" is the hallmark of our domestic politics and our foreign policy.
It's no wonder that "being a shitty neighbor" is the hallmark of our domestic politics and our foreign policy.
January 18, 2026 at 6:08 PM
Many Americans are terrible neighbors to each other, and that is why MN is striking everyone as extraordinary activism... when they are telling us that it is not. They're good neighbors!
It's no wonder that "being a shitty neighbor" is the hallmark of our domestic politics and our foreign policy.
It's no wonder that "being a shitty neighbor" is the hallmark of our domestic politics and our foreign policy.
Reposted by Caitlin Nagel
More on why I left The Washington Post.
This is a preview from tomorrow's newsletter, in which I will also be disclosing all of our funding sources from 2025.
Support @lni.media by becoming a paying member or making a donation here: lni.media/membership
Subscribe for free here: lni.media
This is a preview from tomorrow's newsletter, in which I will also be disclosing all of our funding sources from 2025.
Support @lni.media by becoming a paying member or making a donation here: lni.media/membership
Subscribe for free here: lni.media
January 18, 2026 at 6:47 PM
More on why I left The Washington Post.
This is a preview from tomorrow's newsletter, in which I will also be disclosing all of our funding sources from 2025.
Support @lni.media by becoming a paying member or making a donation here: lni.media/membership
Subscribe for free here: lni.media
This is a preview from tomorrow's newsletter, in which I will also be disclosing all of our funding sources from 2025.
Support @lni.media by becoming a paying member or making a donation here: lni.media/membership
Subscribe for free here: lni.media
Reposted by Caitlin Nagel
Yes, this is my local Target yesterday. One reason they can stage there is their parking lots have been pretty empty since they cut DEI. My only consolation is the bathroom Bovino exits is likely the dirtiest one ever, as they’ve always been filthy and likely worse now
bsky.app/profile/matt...
bsky.app/profile/matt...
ICE at Midway Target and seem to possible be leaving. Lots of community members here
January 12, 2026 at 6:15 PM
Yes, this is my local Target yesterday. One reason they can stage there is their parking lots have been pretty empty since they cut DEI. My only consolation is the bathroom Bovino exits is likely the dirtiest one ever, as they’ve always been filthy and likely worse now
bsky.app/profile/matt...
bsky.app/profile/matt...
Reposted by Caitlin Nagel
From a good friend in Minneapolis: "Target is allowing ICE to stage in their parking lots, use their restrooms, and abduct people from inside their stores - so if you weren’t boycotting already, now is the time." They were staging in Chicago as well.
January 12, 2026 at 3:42 PM
From a good friend in Minneapolis: "Target is allowing ICE to stage in their parking lots, use their restrooms, and abduct people from inside their stores - so if you weren’t boycotting already, now is the time." They were staging in Chicago as well.
Reposted by Caitlin Nagel
It’s the “season of love and giving”…but this year, doesn’t it seem more like a “season of fear and taking”? Like many of you, I’ve been saddened by the human impact of draconian government budget cuts and how angry many housed Americans are at unhoused Americans.
🧵 1 of 9
🧵 1 of 9
December 21, 2025 at 2:51 AM
It’s the “season of love and giving”…but this year, doesn’t it seem more like a “season of fear and taking”? Like many of you, I’ve been saddened by the human impact of draconian government budget cuts and how angry many housed Americans are at unhoused Americans.
🧵 1 of 9
🧵 1 of 9
Reposted by Caitlin Nagel
Go volunteer for a progressive launching a “hopeless” campaign against an extremely entrenched incumbent currently squatting in a safe Blue seat. The worst thing that happens, is that you drag the incumbent to the Left. Best case? Zohran Mamdani, who was polling at 6% in January.
November 10, 2025 at 11:50 AM
Go volunteer for a progressive launching a “hopeless” campaign against an extremely entrenched incumbent currently squatting in a safe Blue seat. The worst thing that happens, is that you drag the incumbent to the Left. Best case? Zohran Mamdani, who was polling at 6% in January.
Reposted by Caitlin Nagel
I knew it would take less than a day for a tiktok dj to make something.
November 5, 2025 at 12:13 PM
I knew it would take less than a day for a tiktok dj to make something.
Reposted by Caitlin Nagel
3 times in the past 2 weeks, a WashPost editorial "has taken on matters in which Bezos has a financial or corporate interest without noting his stake. In each case, the Post's editorial line landed in sync with its owner's interests"
Via @davidfolkenflik.bsky.social
www.npr.org/2025/10/28/n...
Via @davidfolkenflik.bsky.social
www.npr.org/2025/10/28/n...
'Washington Post' editorials omit a key disclosure: Bezos' financial ties
Three times in the past two weeks, editorials at the 'Washington Post' failed to disclose that they focused on matters in which owner Jeff Bezos had a material interest.
www.npr.org
October 28, 2025 at 11:33 AM
3 times in the past 2 weeks, a WashPost editorial "has taken on matters in which Bezos has a financial or corporate interest without noting his stake. In each case, the Post's editorial line landed in sync with its owner's interests"
Via @davidfolkenflik.bsky.social
www.npr.org/2025/10/28/n...
Via @davidfolkenflik.bsky.social
www.npr.org/2025/10/28/n...
Reposted by Caitlin Nagel
Three times in the past two weeks, editorials at the 'Washington Post' failed to disclose that they focused on matters in which owner Jeff Bezos had a material interest.
'Washington Post' editorials omit a key disclosure: Bezos' financial ties
Three times in the past two weeks, editorials at the 'Washington Post' failed to disclose that they focused on matters in which owner Jeff Bezos had a material interest.
n.pr
October 28, 2025 at 11:54 AM
Three times in the past two weeks, editorials at the 'Washington Post' failed to disclose that they focused on matters in which owner Jeff Bezos had a material interest.
Reposted by Caitlin Nagel
Three high schoolers founded a book club that reads some of the country's most frequently banned books after a state law removing books with sexual content was signed in 2023. Two years later, many of the books have been reshelved and parts of the law can't be enforced.
When books were being pulled from Iowa classrooms, these teens started an after-school club to read them
Three Iowa City West high schoolers founded a book club that reads some of the country's most frequently banned books after a state law removing books with sexual content was signed in 2023. Two years later, many of the books have been reshelved and parts of the law can't be enforced.
n.pr
October 20, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Three high schoolers founded a book club that reads some of the country's most frequently banned books after a state law removing books with sexual content was signed in 2023. Two years later, many of the books have been reshelved and parts of the law can't be enforced.
Reposted by Caitlin Nagel
There’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for people to build on the rubble of what’s being destroyed before our eyes. Private corporations bending over to forcefeed everyone government-approved speech is evil and amoral, but more than anything this creates boring, inauthentic, unwatchable shit.
September 18, 2025 at 12:27 AM
There’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for people to build on the rubble of what’s being destroyed before our eyes. Private corporations bending over to forcefeed everyone government-approved speech is evil and amoral, but more than anything this creates boring, inauthentic, unwatchable shit.
Reposted by Caitlin Nagel
Becoming increasingly clear we’re gonna have to build a parallel infrastructure for all the media we really love. The reason all of this is happening under the color of law is hyperconsolidation, dissent being traded straight up for merger approval, or fear of harassment.
September 18, 2025 at 12:22 AM
Becoming increasingly clear we’re gonna have to build a parallel infrastructure for all the media we really love. The reason all of this is happening under the color of law is hyperconsolidation, dissent being traded straight up for merger approval, or fear of harassment.
Reposted by Caitlin Nagel
By the way, you can in fact run a media business where people give you money for goods and services. 56k+ people give The Onion ~$100 and we give them a year of newspapers. This business didn’t exist last year in this way. People will pay for good shit. Now’s the time to break glass and go for it.
September 18, 2025 at 1:10 AM
By the way, you can in fact run a media business where people give you money for goods and services. 56k+ people give The Onion ~$100 and we give them a year of newspapers. This business didn’t exist last year in this way. People will pay for good shit. Now’s the time to break glass and go for it.
Reposted by Caitlin Nagel
The annoying spam texts destroying the Democratic brand:
$678M raised through those spam tactics
$282M to one consulting firm: Mothership Strategies.
$11M to actual campaigns (1.6%)
The party isn’t just treating donors like marks—it’s being fleeced itself yet continues to back Mothership.
$678M raised through those spam tactics
$282M to one consulting firm: Mothership Strategies.
$11M to actual campaigns (1.6%)
The party isn’t just treating donors like marks—it’s being fleeced itself yet continues to back Mothership.
The Mothership Vortex: An Investigation Into the Firm at the Heart of the Democratic Spam Machine
How a single consulting firm extracted $282 million from a network of spam PACs while delivering just $11 million to actual campaigns.
open.substack.com
August 3, 2025 at 5:02 PM
The annoying spam texts destroying the Democratic brand:
$678M raised through those spam tactics
$282M to one consulting firm: Mothership Strategies.
$11M to actual campaigns (1.6%)
The party isn’t just treating donors like marks—it’s being fleeced itself yet continues to back Mothership.
$678M raised through those spam tactics
$282M to one consulting firm: Mothership Strategies.
$11M to actual campaigns (1.6%)
The party isn’t just treating donors like marks—it’s being fleeced itself yet continues to back Mothership.
Reposted by Caitlin Nagel
The reason why fundraising text read like scams is because they are. The political fundraising system has imported the tactics of elder financial fraud. These tactics are designed to filter out skeptics and specifically target and exploit seniors.
95% of scam PAC donors are 65+, costing > $500m.
95% of scam PAC donors are 65+, costing > $500m.
Spam PACs Raise Money by Deceiving Seniors
One 89-year-old woman made 7,532 donations totaling $68,666
data4democracy.substack.com
August 20, 2025 at 3:31 PM
The reason why fundraising text read like scams is because they are. The political fundraising system has imported the tactics of elder financial fraud. These tactics are designed to filter out skeptics and specifically target and exploit seniors.
95% of scam PAC donors are 65+, costing > $500m.
95% of scam PAC donors are 65+, costing > $500m.
Reposted by Caitlin Nagel
Re-upping this again, please spread far and wide:
Humblebundle to support World Central Kitchen, and get a bunch of my books from @tordotcom.bsky.social including Murderbot and Witch King! #booksky
www.humblebundle.com/books/martha...
www.humblebundle.com/books/martha...
Humble Book Bundle: Martha Wells' Murderbot and More by TOR
Fall in love with Martha Wells’ The Murderbot Diaries series—the engine behind the hit AppleTV adaptation—and help support World Central Kitchen.
www.humblebundle.com
August 28, 2025 at 2:55 PM
Re-upping this again, please spread far and wide:
Reposted by Caitlin Nagel
Journalists everywhere need to stand in solidarity on this killing spree and resulting news blackout. See below in this thread for some actions and stay tuned here https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-hits-gaza-hospital-killing-least-20-people-including-five-journalists-2025-08-25/
Israel hits Gaza hospital, killing at least 20 people, including five journalists
Israel struck Nasser hospital in the south of the Gaza Strip on Monday, killing at least 20 people, including five journalists who worked for Reuters, the Associated Press, Al Jazeera and others.
www.reuters.com
August 25, 2025 at 5:54 PM
Journalists everywhere need to stand in solidarity on this killing spree and resulting news blackout. See below in this thread for some actions and stay tuned here https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/israel-hits-gaza-hospital-killing-least-20-people-including-five-journalists-2025-08-25/
Reposted by Caitlin Nagel
If any of these are your reps, please take 5 min today and call. Scripts and numbers at 5calls.org. Kill this absolute travesty of a bill.
These are the weak points. You know what to do. First thing tomorrow, use 5calls.org and raise hell.
July 2, 2025 at 7:01 PM
If any of these are your reps, please take 5 min today and call. Scripts and numbers at 5calls.org. Kill this absolute travesty of a bill.
Reposted by Caitlin Nagel
If you just look at social media instead of news sources, you might believe the “big beautiful bill” has passed already.
It hasn’t. It still needs to go through the House, where it has a strong chance of failing — so yes, feel as sad and angry and scared as you need, but PLEASE CALL YOUR REPS.
It hasn’t. It still needs to go through the House, where it has a strong chance of failing — so yes, feel as sad and angry and scared as you need, but PLEASE CALL YOUR REPS.
July 2, 2025 at 1:05 AM
If you just look at social media instead of news sources, you might believe the “big beautiful bill” has passed already.
It hasn’t. It still needs to go through the House, where it has a strong chance of failing — so yes, feel as sad and angry and scared as you need, but PLEASE CALL YOUR REPS.
It hasn’t. It still needs to go through the House, where it has a strong chance of failing — so yes, feel as sad and angry and scared as you need, but PLEASE CALL YOUR REPS.
Reposted by Caitlin Nagel
It has a very real chance of failing—and *even if it passes with changes* it still has to go BACK to the Senate to get voted on AGAIN. And it barely made it through the first time
This thing is way more killable than you’d think and the longer we can drag out the process the more killable it gets
This thing is way more killable than you’d think and the longer we can drag out the process the more killable it gets
If you just look at social media instead of news sources, you might believe the “big beautiful bill” has passed already.
It hasn’t. It still needs to go through the House, where it has a strong chance of failing — so yes, feel as sad and angry and scared as you need, but PLEASE CALL YOUR REPS.
It hasn’t. It still needs to go through the House, where it has a strong chance of failing — so yes, feel as sad and angry and scared as you need, but PLEASE CALL YOUR REPS.
July 2, 2025 at 5:27 PM
It has a very real chance of failing—and *even if it passes with changes* it still has to go BACK to the Senate to get voted on AGAIN. And it barely made it through the first time
This thing is way more killable than you’d think and the longer we can drag out the process the more killable it gets
This thing is way more killable than you’d think and the longer we can drag out the process the more killable it gets