04/22/26
Good morning! It’s Wednesday, April 22nd.
National Bookmobile Day
Which sounds cool but I’ve never seen a bookmobile. So now I’m just annoyed. Congratulations everyone, now I’m mad. Someone better show me a bookmobile right now.
And now, the news.
Update: Iran
-via ABC News
Starting in Iran! Remember yesterday when I said that Trump was not interested in extending the ceasefire and if a deal wasn’t made that he was going to start dropping bombs because he’s our biggest and bravest boy and it’s okay that his dad never had a catch with him, that’s not what this is about. This war, this presidency, and those long ties aren’t to fix that. Okay? That has nothing to do with the fact that his dad never hugged him so stop asking!
Do you… remember that?
Well fear not (seriously, we can all relax) because on Tuesday Trump announced that the ceasefire will continue indefinitely.
This is good news! But it’s also classic Trump. TACO Tuesday baybee.
But a good one though, this one we needed. Because obviously we don’t want him to bomb Iran.
Veep Vance remains stateside, as the US waits for Iran to send their peace proposal to the US, and we’ll go from there. Pakistan will continue to act as a mediator.
Southern Poverty Law Center Sued
-via CNN, NY Times, and The Guardian
In… this isn’t good but also – how did it take them this long to do it? News… On Tuesday, Todd Blanche, the acting AG, announced that a grand jury has returned an 11-count indictment against the Southern Poverty Law Center, brought by the Justice Department in Alabama.
The charges include wire and bank fraud as well as conspiracy to commit money laundering and are related to past payments they claim were made to confidential informants, in order to infiltrate extremist groups including the Ku Klux Klan.
I can’t even read this quote with a straight face, but at the presser about the case, Blanche said that the SPLC was: “doing the exact opposite of what it’s told its donors it was doing – not dismantling extremism, but funding it.”
If you’re new to this podcast, or me as a human being, in addition to the hahas we do here (and boy oh boy do we do hahas), I take voting very seriously. I am… so fun at parties. And so because I spend so much of my free time just being super normal and reading about the history of voting rights, I’m very familiar with the work that the SPLC has done for the last 50+ years.
I mean, they literally got their start in Montgomery, Alabama.
The idea that this group was funding extremism, funding the KKK, is laughable.
These charges are not funny.
Obviously this is just the administration going after this group because of the work they do. They want to dismantle hate groups. And Trump’s like: hey! These are my best friends! And I’ve never had a best friend before… It’s actually kind of cool. Leave my best friends alone!
Remember that, in the days following Charlie Kirk’s death, Trump promised to start going after groups that ran in opposition to his administration’s goals. He was like “sups sad. Sups sad. Anyway, hey tell your boss if your co-workers are happy that Kirk died because that’s not a weird thing to tell your boss and also we’re going to revoke the visas of people celebrating his death and designate ANTIFA, which is a word and a vibe but not a group, a terrorist group. Because I loved Charlie Kirk! And there’s nothing suspicious about his death. And I am sups sad. Anyway, for his funeral, I was thinking I’d walk onto the State Farm Stadium to fireworks?”
Two things… first of all, how am I so good at impressions??
Also, I think we can all agree that went on too long.
Kash Patel was also at this press conference announcing the charges, and, and this is real, they took the opportunity to say, “hey, while we’re here? Patel? He’s actually not an alcoholic, so there’s that.”
Todd Blanche said he didn’t read The Atlantic article but also said it was full of lies. Patel said he’s never shown up to work drunk (big brag!) and then said: “This FBI director has been on the job twice as many days as every director before me.” Are you sure you’re not drunk right now? That’s… not as clever as you thought it was my guy. Nor, good sir, is it true.
Anyway, they’re attacking the group for political reasons and that’s it. And I look forward to the SPLC prevailing in court. And also to this presidency ending one day because this is exhausting.
There are too many storylines!
LASD Limits Screen Time
In a first for the nation, the Los Angeles Unified School District’s board has voted to restrict the use of laptops and tablets in class and encourage pen-and-paper assignments instead.
The measure requires the district to create a screen policy for each grade and subject, prohibit first graders (or younger) from using devices, make the process clearer for parents who want to opt their kid out of using tech at school, and audit its education technology contracts.
It also has to largely restrict elementary and middle school students from using devices during lunch and recess, as well as prohibit students from going onto YouTube on their own.
This is gnarly! This is cool. Hard to unring the bell of where things are at right now, but this is a great start.
Good luck to the teachers… those students are going to be so whiny (in the beginning. And then, honestly, it’ll probably be a relief for them).
On the other end of the spectrum, school-wise, we have Texas, where a US appeals court ruled that classrooms can display the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms.
The court says this is not a violation of the 1st Amendment, adding “we didn’t read that one too closely. What does is say? Something about how everyone should just be cool with this one religion? Dope. That 2nd one though. Ain’t she a beaut!”
My favorite part about this is that Ken Paxton called it: “a major victory for Texas and our moral values.” Adding: “The Ten Commandments have had a profound impact on our nation, and it’s important that students learn from them every single day.”
Ken Paxton has faced accusations of securities fraud, bribery, and abuse of office. He was impeached in the Texas House in 2023. He also had a long-time affair, which was one of the reasons he got a divorce. But speak more on those morals babe.
Another Dem Resigns
-via NPR
Yet another House Rep has resigned! Florida Democrat Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick resigned just before the House Ethics Committee was set to meet to talk about a possible punishment for her.
For what, you ask? I’ll tell ya!
Prosecutors allege that she, as well as her brother, stole $5 million in federal disaster funds that came from an overpayment related to COVID-19 vaccinations to their health care company.
She denies it and calls it, are you ready for this? A witch hunt.
Guilty. Immediately guilty. I’m sorry, as soon as someone says witch hunt, I just assume they’re guilty.
For those keeping track, the House now sits at 218 Republicans and 213 Democrats, with four open seats. Little Mikey J has a two-vote cushion.
Virginia Voters Win
And finally… Tuesday was Election Night in America (as previously discussed – my favorite!) and Virginia voters decided, yes, they would like to redistrict their state just for a cute little minute.
Not unlike California, the state will redistrict in a way that gives Dems the advantage in 10 seats overall, leaving just 1 safe Republican seat. Meaning they will likely pick up up to four seats in the state.
In California, Dems will likely pick up five seats.
In 2030, the state will return to its previous way of doing the map, which is through a bipartisan commission.
Listen, here’s the thing… I talked about this a lot when California first started this. I was fully against it until California announced it would be temporary and taken to the voters. I’m all for this.
The president of the United States is calling states and telling them to gerrymander because he knows that Republicans cannot win the midterms on policy alone. They’re not working to make the lives of Americans better, so instead they want to cheat.
California and Virginia are fighting back. And, before they do it, they’re asking the voters… do you want us to fight back? And voters are overwhelmingly saying: yes. We want a seat at the table. We want a voice in our democracy.
We have this one very silly, chaotic, beautiful experiment of a democracy. We are holding onto it with everything we can.
And on Tuesday, Virginia voters helped that grip get a little tighter.
And that’s it. That’s the news.
I’m proud of Virginia. Virginia is for lovers… of democracy.
(Fun fact – that slogan was first created in 1969, nice, hey! Grow up! It was first created to help market the state to young people who liked travel. “Hey if you love travel, this is the state for you. Virginia is for travel lovers.” But it was designed to be versatile. “Virginia is for mountain lovers.” “Virginia is for music lovers.” Etc)
I’d love to be proud of bookmobiles, if I’d ever seen one. A car that just goes around with books? I guess… I guess any car can be that. I guess that’s not that impressive, when I think about it.
But more than bookmobiles, because the more I think about you, the more impressive you become… I’m proud of you!