My goodness, what a thorough and thoughtful source for this fast-breaking news cycle. Thank you for including the links for a deeper dive after breakfast.
I can’t think of a single other source like this. And I’m spared having to wade through all the (rightly) angry, over-focused coverage of Iran to learn what else is happening that matters. It reminds me of reading the WSJ in the morning 20 years ago. Bravo. And thank you.
Yes here in New England we are dealing with the highest prices ever. My firewood delivery was $50 higher due to diesel prices and the heating oil was already $5.50 per gallon two weeks ago. Propane heat is even higher per gallon. Our heat season is still on. We’ve had snow twice this month and I’m pretty concerned about all of us who no longer work.
Same here in MA. Our low last night was 20 degrees. We also heat our water with oil. My husband worked in residential heating oil for decades. We have one of the top energy efficient systems available. Our home has 6 inches of insulation. We burn about 1100 gallons of oil a year for our family of 5 adults: our daughter and her husband living in an in-law apartment and our other single daughter living in a small basement apartment. We need another tank which will cost over $1000 dollars to fill. Hopefully this will last us until fall. I can't imagine how much economic hardship the poor and those on fixed income would be facing if this had started in November. Our trash company is adding a fuel adjustment to their service. The bills go on and on and on as the pays stagnate, or for those on SS, actually outpace any COLA adjustment.
Yet the a** in the WH is still polling at 35% among voters. WTF is wrong with them? Will we need a full blown depression before he loses their slavish support? A war on our shores? Elderly and babies dying from freezing to death or summer heat exhaustion? trump wants to eliminate fuel assistance which helps pay for winter heat but also summer AC.
Are his voters truly this ignorant? My husband was reading an AP story about how poor the lives are for people in WV. Yet every county voted for him and he won the state with almost 80% of the vote. Sorry I have nothing but contempt for these voters. They are destroying our country yet complaining while they do it! Again, WTF is wrong with these people?
Poverty destroys brain cells. From the Appalachians to the Smokies, to the Ozarks, they are full of the "pasty-white" folks who immigrated there in the fourth wave of British isles immigration in the eighteenth century. The fiercely authoritarian Scotch-Irish, clannish patriarchal Catholics or self-righteous WASPS who have been fighting British imperialism for 10 centuries, immigrated to America to escape religious persecution, limited resources, and the high costs of living. After settling coastal regions, the land hungry settlers were given grants to bushwhack (murder and steal land from the Native americans --Cherokee, among others) out of the mountains, in-breed, and lead hardscrabble lives out of lumber and working the coal mines (now fracking the tops of mountains off causing pollution to their fresh water supplies). Imagine that it is now not very romantic, like scenes from "The Outlander", but more like scenes from "Justified" or "Ozark". They are dependent on the "company store" credit, brainwashed by right wing radio and Fox news, and stuck in antiquated ideologies with the highest rates of opiate deaths and alcohol addictions in the country as there is little opportunity for upward mobility in WV. One of my brothers lives there and at 78 is still working with no retirement savings, owes thousands in student loans for going back to college in his 50's that were forgiven by Biden, but voted for Trump against his own interests because, raised in the South, he couldn't vote for a black woman. So he's back in debt and can't retire. A sorry state.
Culture wars destroy brain cells. I live in a quite affluent town in central Mass. My town voted for trump by about 60%. We have a median household income of over $110K and are well educated and are considered a far flung bedroom community to Boston and Metro West, the medical, financial and technical part of our state. But this 99% white town fears immigrants, fears DEI, fears CRT and embraces many of the most absurd conspiracy theories. So what's their excuse?
IMPEACH AND DUMP TRAITORS, NAZIS PREDATORS AND ENABLERS , IMPERIALIST CRIMINALS, WAR MONGERS, CAREER CRIMINALS, CRIMINAL GRIFTERS, FASCIST PIGS, FRAUDSTERS, RACIST, AND CON REPUBLICONS EVERYWHERE. RELEASE ALL UNREDACTED EPSTEIN FILES AND JAIL CON RTRUMP. AVOID CON RTRUMP'S AND THE REPUBLICON'S RECESSION AND DEPRESSION. FIX CLIMATE CHANGE, FOR THE FAIR DEAL, NOT THE RAW DEAL. VOTE BLUE AND SAVE DEMOCRACY. STOP THE RTRUMP OLIGARCHY. BOYCOTT CRIMINAL RTRUMP & ELON THE NAZIS.
Which, sadly, don't necessarily have anything to do with poverty, or even education really. Highly "educated" people are racist, xenophobic, misogynistic, homophobic and more.
I agree with the fear of being an outcast. There are far more followers than leaders. My husband says about this "I don't need anyone telling me I need to hate someone for his choice of religion, sexual preference, gender or the color of his skin." It's sad many will not take a stand for what is right.
Wow, thanks for the thoughtful, elegant response! Your southern "education" is showing in your name calling attack. Maybe the familial apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
IMPEACH AND DUMP TRAITORS, NAZIS PREDATORS AND ENABLERS , IMPERIALIST CRIMINALS, WAR MONGERS, CAREER CRIMINALS, CRIMINAL GRIFTERS, FASCIST PIGS, FRAUDSTERS, RACIST, AND CON REPUBLICONS EVERYWHERE. RELEASE ALL UNREDACTED EPSTEIN FILES AND JAIL CON RTRUMP. AVOID CON RTRUMP'S AND THE REPUBLICON'S RECESSION AND DEPRESSION. FIX CLIMATE CHANGE, FOR THE FAIR DEAL, NOT THE RAW DEAL. VOTE BLUE AND SAVE DEMOCRACY. STOP THE RTRUMP OLIGARCHY. BOYCOTT CRIMINAL RTRUMP & ELON THE NAZIS.
This is exactly why Congress must reassert its authority. Decisions about war shouldn’t hinge on unpredictable rhetoric or social media posts from Donald Trump. Voices like Tammy Duckworth and Tim Kaine are right to push for accountability because the cost of war is too high to be driven by politics instead of clear authorization and public will.
Glad to see homeland employees are getting paid again. A huge thank you to anyone who went to work for free. And thank you for reporting, Scott. I hope y'all have a safe and pleasant day.
Why is Congress on a break?? An unhinged President threatening an end to a civilization and they are all scattered thru out the country! GET BACK TO WORK!
Because Mikey the little johnson has extended their recess. This is on republicans. Democrats have no authority and can't call congress back into session. Democrats have been screaming to the root-tops that they need to call an emergency session to enact the War Powers Act. Both johnson and thune are ignoring it. Now we're finding out that bets are being made on actual war strategy. More insider "trading" info? I'd love to see an investigation of the repubs, trump's family and administrations' bank accounts once the Dems take back the house.
Thanks for giving us a comprehensive heads up on what's happening today, Scott. Really appreciate these morning briefings!
It's hard to imagine how anyone thinks a former Amazon distribution center is a fit place to incarcerate thousands of people! Those kinds of facilities don't have adequate water or sewer facilities to accommodate bathrooms, showers or kitchens. They're literally warehouses designed to store goods, not people. This administration is filled with psychopaths who revel in human cruelty. Communities across the country are voting down building permits and zoning waivers for these concentration camps. Good! It's time to stop this evil in its tracks. [FWIW, both the Obama and Biden administrations managed to deport more people than the current one without the need for warehousing detainees like they're subhuman!! 🤬 I see monstrous Steven Miller's fine hand in all this.]
So appreciated! Your comments shine with professionalism - the topics, the organization, the writing....I'm very glad MTN brought you into my daily purview.
We read/listen to your editorial note every day, followed by Heather Cox Richardson and Joyce Vance. My husband listens, because he has aphasia (making it difficult to read.) The listener has a mild complaint - he prefers links to appear at the end of the article. When the audio reads the link, it breaks up the conversational tone of your writing. If the links appear at the end, he can find and follow if he likes. We are so pleased you have come to Substack.
My goodness, what a thorough and thoughtful source for this fast-breaking news cycle. Thank you for including the links for a deeper dive after breakfast.
Thank you for these updates. It appears to me that you are tracking stories that are important yet under the radar 😉. Much appreciated.
Really appreciate these short and concise posts. Legacy media’s loss is our gain.
I can’t think of a single other source like this. And I’m spared having to wade through all the (rightly) angry, over-focused coverage of Iran to learn what else is happening that matters. It reminds me of reading the WSJ in the morning 20 years ago. Bravo. And thank you.
I'm so glad that Meidas and Scott Macfarlane chose to partner in news coverage!
Yes here in New England we are dealing with the highest prices ever. My firewood delivery was $50 higher due to diesel prices and the heating oil was already $5.50 per gallon two weeks ago. Propane heat is even higher per gallon. Our heat season is still on. We’ve had snow twice this month and I’m pretty concerned about all of us who no longer work.
Same here in MA. Our low last night was 20 degrees. We also heat our water with oil. My husband worked in residential heating oil for decades. We have one of the top energy efficient systems available. Our home has 6 inches of insulation. We burn about 1100 gallons of oil a year for our family of 5 adults: our daughter and her husband living in an in-law apartment and our other single daughter living in a small basement apartment. We need another tank which will cost over $1000 dollars to fill. Hopefully this will last us until fall. I can't imagine how much economic hardship the poor and those on fixed income would be facing if this had started in November. Our trash company is adding a fuel adjustment to their service. The bills go on and on and on as the pays stagnate, or for those on SS, actually outpace any COLA adjustment.
Yet the a** in the WH is still polling at 35% among voters. WTF is wrong with them? Will we need a full blown depression before he loses their slavish support? A war on our shores? Elderly and babies dying from freezing to death or summer heat exhaustion? trump wants to eliminate fuel assistance which helps pay for winter heat but also summer AC.
Are his voters truly this ignorant? My husband was reading an AP story about how poor the lives are for people in WV. Yet every county voted for him and he won the state with almost 80% of the vote. Sorry I have nothing but contempt for these voters. They are destroying our country yet complaining while they do it! Again, WTF is wrong with these people?
Poverty destroys brain cells. From the Appalachians to the Smokies, to the Ozarks, they are full of the "pasty-white" folks who immigrated there in the fourth wave of British isles immigration in the eighteenth century. The fiercely authoritarian Scotch-Irish, clannish patriarchal Catholics or self-righteous WASPS who have been fighting British imperialism for 10 centuries, immigrated to America to escape religious persecution, limited resources, and the high costs of living. After settling coastal regions, the land hungry settlers were given grants to bushwhack (murder and steal land from the Native americans --Cherokee, among others) out of the mountains, in-breed, and lead hardscrabble lives out of lumber and working the coal mines (now fracking the tops of mountains off causing pollution to their fresh water supplies). Imagine that it is now not very romantic, like scenes from "The Outlander", but more like scenes from "Justified" or "Ozark". They are dependent on the "company store" credit, brainwashed by right wing radio and Fox news, and stuck in antiquated ideologies with the highest rates of opiate deaths and alcohol addictions in the country as there is little opportunity for upward mobility in WV. One of my brothers lives there and at 78 is still working with no retirement savings, owes thousands in student loans for going back to college in his 50's that were forgiven by Biden, but voted for Trump against his own interests because, raised in the South, he couldn't vote for a black woman. So he's back in debt and can't retire. A sorry state.
Culture wars destroy brain cells. I live in a quite affluent town in central Mass. My town voted for trump by about 60%. We have a median household income of over $110K and are well educated and are considered a far flung bedroom community to Boston and Metro West, the medical, financial and technical part of our state. But this 99% white town fears immigrants, fears DEI, fears CRT and embraces many of the most absurd conspiracy theories. So what's their excuse?
IMPEACH AND DUMP TRAITORS, NAZIS PREDATORS AND ENABLERS , IMPERIALIST CRIMINALS, WAR MONGERS, CAREER CRIMINALS, CRIMINAL GRIFTERS, FASCIST PIGS, FRAUDSTERS, RACIST, AND CON REPUBLICONS EVERYWHERE. RELEASE ALL UNREDACTED EPSTEIN FILES AND JAIL CON RTRUMP. AVOID CON RTRUMP'S AND THE REPUBLICON'S RECESSION AND DEPRESSION. FIX CLIMATE CHANGE, FOR THE FAIR DEAL, NOT THE RAW DEAL. VOTE BLUE AND SAVE DEMOCRACY. STOP THE RTRUMP OLIGARCHY. BOYCOTT CRIMINAL RTRUMP & ELON THE NAZIS.
Geez.....what a stupid ignorant rant. Your 2 brain cells are fading fast.
too much addictive time on line during the pandemic? xenophobic and racist
attitudes are part of all America’s conditioned response as people are afraid of being outcasts
Which, sadly, don't necessarily have anything to do with poverty, or even education really. Highly "educated" people are racist, xenophobic, misogynistic, homophobic and more.
I agree with the fear of being an outcast. There are far more followers than leaders. My husband says about this "I don't need anyone telling me I need to hate someone for his choice of religion, sexual preference, gender or the color of his skin." It's sad many will not take a stand for what is right.
What a stupid, ignorant post. The end.
Thank you Scott for a most interesting newsletter! It is great to be able to see & learn from you everyday!
You are an idiot who cannot see beyond your own nose. Bless your heart.
Wow, thanks for the thoughtful, elegant response! Your southern "education" is showing in your name calling attack. Maybe the familial apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
IMPEACH AND DUMP TRAITORS, NAZIS PREDATORS AND ENABLERS , IMPERIALIST CRIMINALS, WAR MONGERS, CAREER CRIMINALS, CRIMINAL GRIFTERS, FASCIST PIGS, FRAUDSTERS, RACIST, AND CON REPUBLICONS EVERYWHERE. RELEASE ALL UNREDACTED EPSTEIN FILES AND JAIL CON RTRUMP. AVOID CON RTRUMP'S AND THE REPUBLICON'S RECESSION AND DEPRESSION. FIX CLIMATE CHANGE, FOR THE FAIR DEAL, NOT THE RAW DEAL. VOTE BLUE AND SAVE DEMOCRACY. STOP THE RTRUMP OLIGARCHY. BOYCOTT CRIMINAL RTRUMP & ELON THE NAZIS.
This is exactly why Congress must reassert its authority. Decisions about war shouldn’t hinge on unpredictable rhetoric or social media posts from Donald Trump. Voices like Tammy Duckworth and Tim Kaine are right to push for accountability because the cost of war is too high to be driven by politics instead of clear authorization and public will.
Once again Jeffries and Schumer are MIA..........Making sure Israel gets their universal coverage and plenty of bombs.
Congress will not reassert authority bc the entire democrap side of congress doesn't have any working brain cells.
Glad to see homeland employees are getting paid again. A huge thank you to anyone who went to work for free. And thank you for reporting, Scott. I hope y'all have a safe and pleasant day.
Thank you for keeping us up to date in the mornings, love the brief
Uncharted territory, folks. He has managed to bankrupt the world's best economy in a year.
Perhaps some of the mad king's billionaire buddies could contribute to refilling our treasury since the ballroom construction has been frozen.
It sure is obvious the republicans in office are not listening to their constituents
Agree. They aren’t even showing up to work. I think there need to be protests outside their offices to draw attention to there inaction.
But I still hound our 3 hot red sycophants daily. They are going to hear dissent from this household!
Why is Congress on a break?? An unhinged President threatening an end to a civilization and they are all scattered thru out the country! GET BACK TO WORK!
Because Mikey the little johnson has extended their recess. This is on republicans. Democrats have no authority and can't call congress back into session. Democrats have been screaming to the root-tops that they need to call an emergency session to enact the War Powers Act. Both johnson and thune are ignoring it. Now we're finding out that bets are being made on actual war strategy. More insider "trading" info? I'd love to see an investigation of the repubs, trump's family and administrations' bank accounts once the Dems take back the house.
Hasn't the House of Reps. been on vacation more than they have been in session this term?
I think so but not sure. If not, it's pretty damn close.
Thanks for giving us a comprehensive heads up on what's happening today, Scott. Really appreciate these morning briefings!
It's hard to imagine how anyone thinks a former Amazon distribution center is a fit place to incarcerate thousands of people! Those kinds of facilities don't have adequate water or sewer facilities to accommodate bathrooms, showers or kitchens. They're literally warehouses designed to store goods, not people. This administration is filled with psychopaths who revel in human cruelty. Communities across the country are voting down building permits and zoning waivers for these concentration camps. Good! It's time to stop this evil in its tracks. [FWIW, both the Obama and Biden administrations managed to deport more people than the current one without the need for warehousing detainees like they're subhuman!! 🤬 I see monstrous Steven Miller's fine hand in all this.]
So appreciated! Your comments shine with professionalism - the topics, the organization, the writing....I'm very glad MTN brought you into my daily purview.
We read/listen to your editorial note every day, followed by Heather Cox Richardson and Joyce Vance. My husband listens, because he has aphasia (making it difficult to read.) The listener has a mild complaint - he prefers links to appear at the end of the article. When the audio reads the link, it breaks up the conversational tone of your writing. If the links appear at the end, he can find and follow if he likes. We are so pleased you have come to Substack.
Thanks Scott!