America's Awesome, 17 July 2025. In America, we really hate our politicians.
All the nonsense, three parent babies, Giant Elon heads & other good news ➕ Tom Morello drops a protest song
In America, we really hate our politicians.
INHABIT: Interesting News, Headlines, And Bullshit I’m Tracking
Good News & Nonsense
Today’s Podcast
In Closing: Tom Morello Sings in Protest
In America, we really hate our politicians.
America’s Awesome. We hate our politicians. You know my favorite songs: Ballot Access Reform. RCV. I believe in us. I believe we’ll fight back and resist our current bullshit, as protests around the country today are a testament to. And I believe Americans will take control of our government again, and out of the hands of the shitty trad parties.
“Donald Trump wants to stage a UFC fight on the White House lawn. The last time he staged a fight in D.C., Mike Pence almost died” - Shane Gillis at the ESPY Awards
Say it with me now: Ballot Access Reform. Ranked Choice Voting.
CONGRESSIONAL DEMS’ APPROVAL HITS RECORD LOW; Only 19 percent of respondents to a new Quinnipiac University poll approve of the way the the party is handling their job in Congress
“The idea of a benevolent dictator to get past the nonsense is appealing for those who can’t think more than a step or two ahead and consider what happens next… Here’s the thing about fascism: it never ends well. Not for the countries that embrace it, not for the people who live under it, and definitely not for the entrepreneurs who think they can ride the tiger.” - Mike Masnick, in Techdirt, Fascism For First Time Founders
INHABIT
Army veteran and US citizen arrested in California immigration raid warns it could happen to anyone. “A U.S. Army veteran who was arrested during an immigration raid at a Southern California marijuana farm last week said Wednesday he was sprayed with tear gas and pepper spray before being dragged from his vehicle and pinned down by federal agents who arrested him.
George Retes, 25, who works as a security guard at Glass House Farms in Camarillo, said he was arriving at work on July 10 when several federal agents surrounded his car and — despite him identifying himself as a U.S. citizen — broke his window, peppered sprayed him and dragged him out… He said federal agents never told him why he was arrested or allowed him to contact a lawyer or his family during his three-day detention. Authorities never let him shower or change clothes despite being covered in tear gas and pepper spray, Retes said, adding that his hands burned throughout the first night he spent in custody.
On Sunday, an officer had him sign a paper and walked him out of the detention center. He said he was told he faced no charges… Retes said he joined the Army at 18 and served four years, including deploying to Iraq in 2019. ‘I joined the service to help better myself,’ he said. ‘I did it because I love this (expletive) country. We are one nation and no matter what, we should be together. All this separation and stuff between everyone is just the way it shouldn’t be.’ Retes said he plans to sue for wrongful detention.”
Cool, cool, cool, cool. DHS Faces New Pressure Over DNA Taken From Immigrant Children; The US government has added the DNA of approximately 133,000 migrant children and teens to a criminal database, which critics say could mean police treat them like suspects “indefinitely.”
ICE Again Gives The Law The Finger, Denies Member Of Congress Access To Detention Facility
But more churches are fighting back: ICE agents wielding guns tried to intimidate my church. We will not bow in fear.
“To be clear, this is not about politics. It is about principle. It is about our shared humanity. It is about choosing solidarity over silence. It is about protecting the sacred right to gather, to pray, to belong. When ICE agents descend on our neighborhoods, when fear spreads like wildfire, people of faith must be the living water that quenches it.” - Rev. Tanya Lopez, in USA Today, ICE agents wielding guns tried to intimidate my church. We will not bow in fear.
Killing morale for security theater: National Guard came to L.A. to fight unrest. Troops ended up fighting boredom
Drudge screenshot Epstein
The Memo: Trump struggles to extract himself from Epstein mire
Trump faces backlash as 69% believe Epstein details concealed, Reuters/Ipsos poll finds
Trump slams his own supporters as ‘weaklings’ for falling for what he now calls the Epstein ‘hoax’
Fact checked and verified: Fact Check: Did Donald Trump Jr. once post, 'Show us all the Epstein client list' and ask why those on it would be protected? Trump Doubles Down and Points the Finger in Bizarre Epstein Excuse Rant
Elon Musk Blows Major Hole in Trump’s Epstein ‘Hoax’ Theory: “Wow, amazing that Epstein ‘killed himself’ and Ghislaine is in federal prison for a hoax”
MAGA Podcaster Hits Vance With His Own Epstein Comments in Public Callout
INSIDE TRUMP’S FRANTIC, FAILING MISSION TO CRUSH THE EPSTEIN ‘MAGA REBELLION;’ The president and his administration are telling supporters to forget about the convicted sex offender. It isn’t working
Bring On the MAGA Revolt; Donald Trump’s own strategists and advisers aren’t sure the president’s base will survive Jeffrey Epstein’s ghost.
Making America Healthy Again: Can US Measles Outbreaks Be Stopped? The US almost lost its measles elimination status once. Lessons from that episode suggest it will be more difficult to avoid doing so now.
The Trump Bounce for leaders willing to stand up and tell him to fuck off is pretty consistent. Anti-Trump Bump Rekindles Support for Brazil’s President
Grok may be breaking App Store rules with sexualized AI chatbots, and that’s not the only problem
OpenAI and Anthropic researchers decry ‘reckless’ safety culture at Elon Musk’s xAI
If we keep on our current path, coming soon to a United States near you: New Russian law criminalizes online searches for controversial content; Russia previously criminalized sharing such content, but with officials saying censorship during wartime is justified, restrictive digital laws are being tightened & Pro-Kremlin Figures Decry Bill Criminalizing Access to ‘Extremist’ Content
Good News & Nonsense
Science is Awesome… Babies made using three people's DNA are born free of hereditary disease. “Eight babies have been born in the UK using genetic material from three people to prevent devastating and often fatal conditions, doctors say. The method, pioneered by UK scientists, combines the egg and sperm from a mum and dad with a second egg from a donor woman. The technique has been legal here for a decade but we now have the first proof it is leading to children born free of incurable mitochondrial disease.”
Giant Heads of Assholes Are Awesome: Who Made the Giant Elon Musk Head Spotted at Arches National Park? The effigy was emblazoned with the words “Make America Wait Again,” and it toured the park on Saturday, July 12. “On Saturday, July 12, visitors to the park were greeted by a 12-foot tall sculpture of the tech kingpin’s head, his expression chiseled into a self-satisfied smirk. The massive effigy was towed around the park in a trailer behind a white pickup truck.
The sculpture was accompanied by a sign emblazoned with ‘MAKE AMERICA WAIT AGAIN’ and below that ‘Now With Longer Lines Thanks To DOGE Cuts!’”
Our Constitution is Awesome, and so is thinking about how we keep our nation operational into the future: America Needs a Bold Constitutional Reconstruction Agenda to Tame Presidential Powers; Fundamental flaws in our parliamentary rules, courts, and electoral system made our country vulnerable to an authoritarian takeover.
shares some thoughtful ideas here. I’ve been playing with similar thoughts for a long time. Our Constitution is amazing, but there are some needed tweaks to make it work in the 21st Century. Dangerous game, but needed.
In Closing: Tom Morello Sings in Protest
As Good Trouble protests continue around America today, Tom Morello shares a little good trouble of his own. New, “Pretend You Remember Me.”