a Better Bubbleโ„ข

Kevin Drum ๐Ÿ•ธ

Recreational sex is the oldest recreation of all

1 month ago
Against all odds, it appears that conservatives are having a recreational sex moment. They're against it: I hate to be "that guy," but, um, recreational sex is not a recent invention. It's not even an ancient invention. And it's certainly not responsible for anything new and different about modern society. Just thought I'd point that ...continue reading "Recreational sex is the oldest recreation of all"
Kevin Drum

Health whining

1 month ago
I want to take this opportunity to say that all this "golden years" stuff is a crock. I'm only 65 and I've got multiple myeloma; degraded hips that make it hard to walk; diabetes (almost); peripheral neuropathy; possibly prostate cancer;¹ moderate chronic depression; and now a very painful hemorrhoid.² Plus high blood pressure and high ...continue reading "Health whining"
Kevin Drum

Right-wing judge dismisses charges against white nationalists

1 month 1 week ago
District Court Judge Cormac Carney has tossed charges of assault against a pair of white nationalists because it was unfair not to prosecute some lefties too: An Orange County federal judge has dismissed criminal charges for the second time in five years against accused members of a Southern California white supremacist group suspected of inciting ...continue reading "Right-wing judge dismisses charges against white nationalists"
Kevin Drum

Lunchtime Photo

1 month 1 week ago
Takeoff from John Wayne Airport over the 405 freeway. On windy days planes take off to the north, rather than heading out south over the ocean as they usually do.
Kevin Drum

Alabama starts to lose its IVF centers

1 month 1 week ago
It begins: The University of Alabama at Birmingham health system has paused in vitro fertilization procedures following an Alabama Supreme Court decision due to fear of criminal prosecution and lawsuits, a spokeswoman said. ....“We must evaluate the potential that our patients and our physicians could be prosecuted criminally or face punitive damages for following the ...continue reading "Alabama starts to lose its IVF centers"
Kevin Drum

What did Republicans know and when did they know it?

1 month 1 week ago
We now know that: Alexander Smirnov lied to prosecutors about Burisma paying $5 million bribes to Hunter and Joe Biden. These lies started in June 2020. Smirnov began an extensive series of meetings with Russian intelligence officials in 2019. Republicans made Smirnov's accusations a centerpiece of their corruption charges against the Biden family. Draw your ...continue reading "What did Republicans know and when did they know it?"
Kevin Drum

Media coverage of the economy has finally broken into positive territory

1 month 1 week ago
Today I learned that the San Francisco Fed performs daily tracking of economic news sentiment. Here it is since the end of the Great Recession: The index is currently at 0.17, roughly equal to the peaks between 2014 and 2020. However, it only rose above zero about three months ago. It took a long time ...continue reading "Media coverage of the economy has finally broken into positive territory"
Kevin Drum

Why do we keep vetoing UN resolutions over Gaza?

1 month 1 week ago
Why oh why does the US keep vetoing UN resolutions calling for a ceasefire in Gaza? Are we really that brutal and heartless? Oh come on. This isn't complicated. It's because these immediate ceasefire resolutions never demand that Hamas immediately release its hostages. That's a loud tell that the resolution backers aren't really serious about ...continue reading "Why do we keep vetoing UN resolutions over Gaza?"
Kevin Drum