"Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the former majority leader, was hospitalized on June 14. Since then, his office has provided few updates about his condition.

The scant official statements have led to speculation around Washington and efforts to piece together information on what happened. Here’s what we know about the situation."

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/06/us/politics/mitch-mcconell-health-hospitalization.html

#healthcare #hospitals #PaidLeave #UScongress #USpol

In a blistering 2-1 decision, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals torched Florida's "Individual Freedom Act," a law barring public university instructors from "endorsing" a list of 8 banned concepts about race, sex, and privilege, ruling it violates the 1st Amendment.

The ruling quotes Prof. David F. Cavers - "The Florida defendants cannot “put together half a donkey and half a camel, and then ride to victory on the synthetic hybrid.”"

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ca11.80813/gov.uscourts.ca11.80813.11014486517.1.pdf
https://www.rawstory.com/court-thrashes-red-state-s-breathtaking-attempt-to-ban-unpopular-ideas/
#UsPol
1/n

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Snippets from the ruling - Florida seeks to strip public university professors—and by extension their students—of the ability to fully engage with ideas that are, for better or for worse, very popular in some academic circles. The State asks us to consider its rules a means of targeting discrimination. But hearing an idea you disagree with is not discrimination; it is an opportunity to come up with a better idea, or maybe even change your mind For its part, Florida seeks to evade any First Amendment limitations at all by rigging together several speech doctrines to create a new rule that would quietly remove all free speech protections from the classroom. Because the government pays the professors’ salaries, Florida says, their speech is the State’s speech. Emphatically no. The Florida defendants cannot “put together half a donkey and half a camel, and then ride to victory on the synthetic hybrid.” David F. Cavers, The Choice-of-Law Process 39 (1965) This is not the first time that the State has tried to lead us down the garden path about the purpose and effect of a law banning speech. We have once before rejected its reframing of the Individual Freedom Act’s proscriptions, and we do so again here. The proper role of universities in our society has long been a topic of fierce debate. Universities and professors do not always get it right. Neither does the government. But as we said not long ago, “[i]ntellectual and cultural tumult do not last forever, and our Constitution is unique in its commitment to letting the people, rather than the government, find the right equilibrium.” Honeyfund, 94 F.4th at 1283. We AFFIRM the district court’s preliminary injunction.

RE: https://mastodon.social/@climatenewsnow/116881176765672986

😱 #Oiligarchy #ExxonLied #TrumpLies #USPol #BigOil #BigOilAndGas #PowerCorruptionAndLies

The lady is getting grief for delivering a hard truth.

#GrahamPlatner #Platner #USPol #USPolitics #Misogyny #Patriarchy

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Elizabeth Lopatto © @lopatto.bsky.social the ongoing defense of Platner tells me that plenty of men on the left hate women more than they love their supposed principles 22:45-7 Jul 2026 23 Some people can reply 207 reposts 35 quotes 1.3k likes 5 saves

#MitchMcConnell #USPol #USPolitics #GOP #WeekendAtBernies

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& Birds Are Dinosaurs @birdsaredinosaurs.bsky.social | spoke to my old friend Mitch McConnell this evening, the senior Senator from Kentucky. We talked for just shy of 20 minutes about IRAN, UKRAINE, the unfolding situation in MAINE, and our visit to the TR Presidential Library. Picture: "Morla the Ancient One from The Neverending Story, a giant turtle that lives in the Swamps of Sadness and is also the Senate Majority Leader " 23:43 -7 Jul 2026 23 Some people can reply

Naomi Klein (the good Naomi, not the nutter) apologises for not doing enough diligence on Platner in the primaries. It has an air of sincerity to me, and I tend to think of people as _more_ trustworthy if they acknowledge their errors.

(yes yes once you can fake sincerity you've got it made BUT STILL)

#platner #NaomiKlein #politics #uspol #uspolitics

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Naomi Klein at the bad place: I truly fucked up not doing my due diligence on Platner before offering high praise for his communication skills (on another platform). Enough was out there at the time that | should have been more cautious. Especially because | met adventurer dudes like him while reporting in Iraq. Deep respect to all who got it right. I won't take down the bad post because that looks like hiding. But please know that I'm truly sorry | disappointed folks who trust me to be more careful. Most of all I'm sorry to the women who came forward only to be disbelieved and smeared. You deserved better and | feel absolutely gutted. 8:55 AM - Jul 7, 2026 - 229K Views

Hubby seems to think they'll just appoint #JanetMills. Well, at least we know she has a backbone and will stand up against #Trump! Unlike #UselessSusanCollins!

#USPol #MainePol #USElections #2026Elections

mitchell magoo

#MitchMcConnell #trump #maga #uspol #politics #meme #photoshop #mrmagoo

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Mr Magoo cartoon from 1949's Mr. Magoo show. with the face replaced with Mitchell McConnell III. Magoo is an elderly, wealthy, short-statured retiree who gets into a series of comical situations as a result of his extreme near-sightedness, compounded by his stubborn refusal to admit the problem

So, #NiravShah came pretty close to winning the June primary (if there weren't #RCV, he would have won). Though #TroyJackson would be the logical #Progressive choice. The plot thickens...

Democrats Begin to Clash Over Who Replaces Platner Even Before He Exits

#Progressives and #moderates are gearing up for a fight over an as-yet-undecided process in #Maine to name a Senate nominee to replace #GrahamPlatner after a rape accusation. He still wants a say, too.

Shane GoldmacherReid J. EpsteinKatie Glueck
By Shane Goldmacher, Reid J. Epstein and Katie Glueck
July 7, 2026Updated 12:50 p.m. ET

Excerpt: "A range of candidates are being discussed, with some early attention on those who ran and lost the primary for governor this year. Those Democrats include #TroyJackson, a former president of the Maine Senate; Nirav Shah, a former director of Maine’s public health agency; and #ShennaBellows, Maine’s secretary of state. But some Democrats were concerned about elevating someone who just lost.

"Supporters of Mr. Jackson, who had backed Mr. Platner in the primary, created a Draft Troy website and he filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission for a Senate exploratory committee. Mr. Shah put out a statement that said he had received 'hundreds of encouraging messages,' adding that anyone who ran for the nomination should commit to a televised debate and 'multiple town halls across every corner of the state.' "

Read more:
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/07/us/politics/graham-platner-maine-replacements-democrats.html

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/bfxGG

#USPol #MainePol #2026Elections

"He's continuing his recovery..."

...from Death?

#MitchMcConnell #GOP #USPol #USPolitics

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McConnell speaks to Republican leaders as speculation swirls about his health, remains hospitalized Staff for Sen. McConnell has said that the senator is "continuing his recovery” in a hospital while the Senate is out of session.

It's #HammerTime!

#Illinois Drops the Hammer on #AI Companies

#Pritzker isn't playing.

By AJ Dellinger
Published July 6, 2026,

"On Monday, Illinois Governor #JBPritzker signed the #ArtificialIntelligence Safety Measures Act into law, giving the Midwest state arguably the strictest set of regulations yet designed to protect its citizenry from the risks posed by the growing power of frontier AI companies.

"According to a press release from the Governor’s office, the AI Safety Measures Act creates a framework that will require the 'developers of the largest advanced AI systems' (read: #OpenAI, #Anthropic, #Google, etc.) to provide public disclosures as to their safety practices, report any significant #SafetyIncidents, and remain in line with a set of compliance processes. It also creates a channel for #whistleblowers working inside AI labs to safely and securely relay any safety concerns they might have without fear of repercussions.

"A lot of the law is in line with what states like #California and #NewYork have passed already, but Illinois is claiming a 'first-in-the-nation' distinction for one major part of its efforts: It is the only state that will require AI systems to undergo regular, independent third-party safety audits. That requirement will apply to any AI company reporting more than $500 million in revenue. Those requirements are set to go into effect on January 1, 2028, now that the bill has been signed into law."

Read more:
https://gizmodo.com/illinois-drops-the-hammer-on-ai-companies-2000781932

#TechBros #USPol #IllinoisPol #AISucks #AIRegulations #TechOligarchs

AZ⚡raised #solar panels on stilts over its crops so one acre could grow food & make power at once -then researchers noticed a 3rd job nobody put in the brochure:⚡skin under the panels runs 21 degrees cooler, in a C where crop workers💔are 20X more likely to die of heat.

It's infuriating: the #TrumpRegime refuses to embrace #renewables. Trump/Rs know🚨 the #ClimateCrisis is worsening, but they don't care. Their donors: #FossiFuel cos...

#GOPDeathCult #Climate #Greed #USPol
https://www.autonocion.com/us/arizona-solar-panels/#google_vignette

I think the Iranians pulled the same line with their 'Weekend at Bernies' caper and their leader.

#MitchMcConnell #GOP #USPol #USPolitics #WeekendAtBernies

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NEW: Scott Jennings Shuts Down Mitch McConnell Rumors, Details Lengthy Phone Call

#ICE🚨tortures & KILLS #immigrants:
💔An Afghan national who fought alongside US forces died from an allergic reaction while in the custody of ICE in March,🚨one day after he was detained for #deportation procs.

Paktiawal, 41,💔suffered “an adverse drug reaction” to an unidentified substance, which triggered anaphylaxis...

His sudden death in ICE cust has drawn outrage bc he'd risked his life fighting as an ally of US SFs in AFG.

#DHS #Torture #DeathCamps #Uprising #USPol
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/afghan-national-died-ice-custody-allergic-reaction-rcna353290

RE: https://newsie.social/@ProgressivePower/116878883963591517

When a nation has a shortage of skilled labour, they usually look to Immigration to fill the gap, but these days Nations would rather collapse and die than let a 'forrin' in.

The irony of the Nerd Reich's plans being thwarted by their Racism, it will keep happening though.

#USPol #USPolitics #NerdReich #TechBros #DataCentres #Immigration #Racism

ProgressivePower » 🌐 2026-07-07
@ProgressivePower@newsie.social

🚨 BOMBSHELL! Mike Rowe exposes a massive crisis. He confirms the US faces a catastrophic shortage of skilled labor, needing 400,000 workers immediately.

He reveals China outbuilt the US 1000 to 3 in ships.

The $10 trillion AI infrastructure plan will completely fail!

Well, well, well. #BernieSanders has called on #GrahamPlatner to leave the Senate race, and #TroyJackson is about to enter it. This just got verrrry interesting. TBH, I wanted Jackson to run for Congress, but Senate would work.

#MainePol #USPol #GrahamPlatnerOut

As we are about to see Mitch McConnell off, remember that it's not on you that some people make it impossible to uphold the "De mortuis nil nisi "-rule. Instead be reminded that we should all strive to live in a way that makes it easy.

#UsPol #MitchmMconnell #SpeakIllOfEvil

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_mortuis_nil_nisi_bonum

NATO just awarded a $4.5 billion contract for surveillance planes to Sweden’s Saab over U.S. manufacturer Boeing.

Trump Hit With Immediate Snub on Overseas Trip
https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-hit-with-immediate-nato-snub-on-overseas-trip/

#TrumpRuinsEverything #NATO #USPol

I can safely state with a high degree of confidence that I've never sexually assaulted anyone.
I'm pretty sure there are quite a lot of people in the United States who can say the same.
Personally, I'd prefer if the people who can't would fucking stop running for office, especially if they're on my "side" politically.
#GrahamPlatner #politics #USPol #MEPol

What's the delay, Graham?!? Do the right thing. DROP OUT of the race TODAY, so Democrats in Maine can replace you before the July 13 deadline!!!!

#GrahamPlatner #Maine #USPol

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Graham Platner DROP OUT NOW!

RE: https://mstdn.social/@DemocracyMattersALot/116879185105850024

I wake the next day and he's still in the running?

This guy can't take a hint, huh?

#Platner #GrahamPlatner #Misogyny #ToxicMasculinity #USPol #USPolitics

DoomsdaysCW boosted

Democracy Matters » 🌐 2026-07-07
@DemocracyMattersALot@mstdn.social

What's the delay, Graham?!? Do the right thing. DROP OUT of the race TODAY, so Democrats in Maine can replace you before the July 13 deadline!!!!

#GrahamPlatner #Maine #USPol

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Graham Platner DROP OUT NOW!

ICE day off

#TurdReich #MAGAts #KKK #ICE #USPol

Sen. #MitchMcConnell has spent 3 weeks in the hospital, & his office still will not say what sent the 84-year-old Kentucky Republican there, his latest condition or when he might return.

McConnell, who has served in the #Senate since 1985 & led Senate #Republicans from 2007 until 2025, has not cast a vote since June 11. His absence comes as Republicans are navigating a narrow Senate majority.…

#Congress #USpol
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/07/06/heres-what-we-know-about-sen-mitch-mcconnells-health/

#MitchMcConnell was admitted to the hospital on the morning of June 14, according to a statement from his office that said that he was “receiving excellent care.”

EMS dispatch audio from the morning of June 14 suggests that emergency medical personnel were sent to McConnell’s home to attend to an unconscious person in cardiac arrest.

#Senate #Congress #USpol

According to the dispatch audio, a call went out at 8:36 a.m. for an “unconscious” person at McConnell’s address, and an ambulance was sent with an advanced life support crew. Six minutes later a medic radioed that CPR was “in progress.” At 8:43 a.m., a dispatcher relayed the emergency as a “cardiac arrest.” #MitchMcConnell is named nowhere in the recording, though the address is his.

#Senate #Congress #USpol

…Any extended absence for #MitchMcConnell could make matters more difficult for #Republicans to pass #legislation this year, as it would temporarily shrink their majority to 52-47 in the chamber.

McConnell’s absence also further complicates matters for the #Senate #Appropriations Committee, which is already running behind schedule. The committee has not advanced any #spending bills for the 2027 fiscal year due to disagreements over #defense #funding.

#Congress #USpol

RE: https://masto.ai/@Nonilex/116878877082213015

If he's not even making stock trades then he is dead.

#MitchMcConnell #USPol #USPolitics

Nonilex » 🌐 2026-07-07
@Nonilex@masto.ai

Sen. #MitchMcConnell has spent 3 weeks in the hospital, & his office still will not say what sent the 84-year-old Kentucky Republican there, his latest condition or when he might return.

McConnell, who has served in the #Senate since 1985 & led Senate #Republicans from 2007 until 2025, has not cast a vote since June 11. His absence comes as Republicans are navigating a narrow Senate majority.…

#Congress #USpol
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/07/06/heres-what-we-know-about-sen-mitch-mcconnells-health/

Once the fascists were in control of the government, not even the gang on top was safe from its own members.
#fascism #uspol #history #propaganda

Like his President he wanted to grab the Teenager "by the pussy"

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/jul/07/us-airman-accused-of-exposing-himself-to-16-year-old-girl-court-martial

#UKPol #UKPolitics #USPol #USPolitics #Misogyny #UKLaw #UKCrime #USAF #HannesMarschalek

So #Trump had a phone call with #Putin for several hours before Trump took off to #NATO

So yeah, expect anti-NATO and pro-Russian behavior from Trumpet against NATO soon

Disgusting dictators 🤮

#US #USPol #Russia

We are here. #USpol #worldcup2026 #tfg

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Post about USA loss to Belgium in World Cup: America's Global Standing Now So Poor That Entire World Celebrates Their Loss To History's Most Barbaric Colonisers

Belgium may have beaten the hell out of the US in the World Cup, but when this is all over the Belgians have to use their longer paid vacations to take their higher standard of living back to their much safer country where they’ll have to spend their much longer life expectancies thinking about it. - Steve Hofstetter
#USpol

She rocks.
#USpol

“Some folks looked at this scene and said it was a sign that the universe,the ancestors and maybe even God were showing a sense of humor at America’s 250th party.

Not me.

I didn’t see some delicious historical irony in the sight of all those damp,flag-hatted, and entitled MAGA slumped, sprawled, and lounging in a museum holding all the history they’ve spent years mocking, demonizing, defunding,trying to ban, whitewash, and bury.”- Dr. Stacey Patton
https://substack.com/home/post/p-205658135

#uspol As another horrible person approaches their end, remember that "speak no ill of the dead" is a terrible admonition that can turn even the worst people into saints.

Instead, comfort yourself with this: "Of the dead, speak only the truth".

I was sad to see the US National Soccer Team get knocked-out of the tournament by Belgium in a decisive 4-1 game. That said, it also was a good lesson for the orange president. Before his highly-inappropriate, intervention, the team could have argued that they lost due to not having their star striker in this particular game. Not that he cares.

#fifa #worldcup #uspol #usa #belgium

Summary by MeidasTouch.

#UsPol #WorldCup
5/n

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Tweet by MeidasTouch @MeidasTouch THE TRUMP EFFECT: The USA just lost to Belgium in the World Cup Round of 16 by a score of 4-1, right after Trump personally called FIFA to clear star striker Balogun to play. Sports fans are calling it the Trump curse. He attended the Super Bowl and predicted a Chiefs win, but the Eagles blew them out. He was there when the Commanders hosted the Lions and lost at home. He watched from a suite as Miami fell in the College Football National Championship. He sat in the owner’s suite when the Knicks snapped their huge playoff streak in NBA Finals Game 3. And he attended the Ryder Cup where Europe topped the US team.

"A massive data fac uses automation &, once built:🚨rarely employs more than a few dozen people. #DataCenters really only benefit the #BigTech emperors."
-J Cohn

Grassroots protests against data cens give us something new:⚡a mass mobilization focused squarely on protecting Am hometowns from🚨oligarchic exploitation.

America the Polarized:⚡found some agreement at last. While #Trump🚨guns it on building data cens,⚡71% of Ams oppose them, incl➡️maj of Rs.
#AI #Oligarchs #USPol
https://newrepublic.com/article/212671/data-centers-americans-hate-ai

Data Center Hate is the new basis for American unity!

It Took a While, but Americans May Have Found Something We All Hate
https://newrepublic.com/article/212671/data-centers-americans-hate-ai

#DataCenters #AI #Slop #USPol

"Weekend At Bernies"

#MitchMcConnell #USPol #USPolitics

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@cesj.online - 2h there appears to be some confusion over whether senator mcconnell is living or dead, which is understandable because how could you even tell

😂 It's that 'Mason Verger' look that gets people hot under the collar

#MitchMcConnell #USPol #USPolitics

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Cozy Snugglefield @garybutterfield.bsky.social - 1h Listen, 'm not pulling for McConnell just because he's hot. Q [= Q 20 Q &

Drag his near-corpse out onto the street so we can all see for ourselves

#MitchMcConnell #USPol #USPolitics

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Formerly "Chris's House of Chicken and Waf... @bwprowl.bsky.s... - Th If the Democrats won't even fight McConnell when he's fucking dead then they're somehow even more useless than previously known

lol

#MitchMcConnell #USPol #USPolitics

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Ben Schwartz @benschwartz.bsky.social - 13m < The McConnell family is getting in some practice pulling plugs. (OAILYBEAST] McConnell’s Daughter Deactivates X Account as Health Questions Swirl Annabella Rosciglione Mon, July 6,20263t 219 PM CDT + 3minread

Heck, it's just sexual assault. It's not like he's an adjudicated rapist affiliated with a child sex ring for the wealthy and powerful. Nobody would vote for that guy.

https://journa.host/@samlitzinger/116875455963385920

#Democrats #Platner #SexualAssault #elections #USpol #Trump

Who needs #BioLabs when there's all sorts of #bacteria about to be exposed after thousands of years!

Researchers issue warning after making grim #Antarctic discovery: 'We are only beginning to understand'

Story by Daysia Tolentino, January 29, 2026

Excerpt: "A study published in the journal #Biocontaminant examined the effects of #GlacialMelting on our #WaterSupply.

"#Glaciers serve as reservoirs for #AntibioticResistanceGenes, or #ARGs, and other #microbes. When they are released from the ice, they enter our water systems, posing a major health risk to people downstream.

"Millions of people get their water from glacier-fed rivers and lakes. ARGs are strands of DNA that make bacteria more resistant to drugs. When ARGs in #meltwater make their way into our water supply, they become a global public health risk.

"The study emphasizes the importance of viewing glaciers, rivers, and lakes as being part of a 'glacier continuum.' This means they are an interconnected system rather than separate environments.

Why are melting glaciers concerning?

"From our gas-powered cars to #overconsumption, human activity has contributed to the production of heat-trapping gases that warm the planet. Rising global temperatures have caused glaciers to rapidly melt, causing elevated sea levels and releasing ARGs.

"ARGs from melting glaciers are worrisome because they help facilitate the spread of diseases. This threat is compounded by the fact that our growing #microplastic problem is also helping #AntibioticResistant #bacteria breed. As a result, #medicines are being rendered less effective."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/researchers-issue-warning-after-making-grim-antarctic-discovery-we-are-only-beginning-to-understand/

#WorldPol #USPol #FossilFuels #FossilFools #Degrowth #RenewablesNow #WaterIsLife #OceansAreLife #HumanFolly #NewDiseases

Breaking #news. Senator Turtle McConnell is alive but has been unconscious for weeks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RM2S9U4_U4Q

#unitedstates #uspol #MitchMcConnell

Weekend at Bernie's vibe

#USpol #USpolitics

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/latest-news-live-updates_n_6a4b6bc0e4b05c9d0338a117/liveblog_6a4bcfdce4b0c806bbeed2f9

Yesterday, my 85-year-old aunt went on a full-fledged sailor curse spree that could be heard 10 rows in each direction on Trump in the middle of Kroger. I think she was hoping a MAGA would try to rebuke her. She is thirsty to whoop one. #USPol We were embarrassingly proud.😂 During checkout, everybody knew her $100 order should only cost $35 at the most.

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older lady sitting on a wicker bench, pink shirt, blue cushions with legs crossed