05/27/26
Good morning! It’s Wednesday, May 27th
National Sunscreen Day which I realize just sounds like a whole day dedicated to that Baz Luhrman song “Everybody’s Free (to Wear Sunscreen)” and honestly, if so – that’s great. But also – skin cancer is no joke and skin health in general is important. So lather up (also, lather up as in wash your hands – the outside is gross) because the sun is nice and in drawings it has glasses… but it’s also a little dangerous.
And now, the news.
Washington State Chemical Explosion
-via ABC News
Starting in Washington state where a paper and pulp mill exploded, before imploding, Tuesday morning, leaving an unknown number dead as well as multiple critically injured. Recovery efforts are underway and there are a number of workers still missing.
Numbers are still coming in as next of kin are being notified but as of this recording, one person is dead, at least are injured, and nine are missing.
The cause of the explosion is currently unknown but there is no immediate threat to the public.
South Carolina and Alabama Voters
-via NY Times
Some surprisingly good news for voters in the south!
In South Carolina, after the state’s congressional voted down the state’s use of the gerrymandered maps, their governor called a special session to give Republicans one more time to rethink whether they wanted to appease Dear Leader Trump and do gerrymandering.
That would have also required delaying the state’s primary.
The state’s house Republicans voted to be very cool with that but, on Tuesday, state Senators said no since early voting also started on Tuesday.
So the map will keep, as will the primary election dates.
And in Alabama, the state will keep their map as well. What happened there was that, in 2023, based off the 2020 election, the state made an attempt to gerrymander and a federal court ruled that the map was drawn to specifically disenfranchise Black voters and so they were forced to draw a new map, which the state has used ever since. Following the ruling in Louisiana, Alabama gave it the old gerrymandering college try again, but the same federal court handed back the same ruling, and now they’ll use the same map they’ve been using.
Expect this Alabama ruling to head to the Supremes, but we take our wins where we can get em and these two stories are wins for sure.
Update: Iran
-via CBS News
Remember yesterday when I said we’ll believe the ceasefire in Iran when we see it? Well after Trump was like we’re pretty close and also I don’t care and also what even is an Iran… on Tuesday Iran accused the United States of a “grave violation” of the ceasefire after US forces used what they called “self-defense strikes” on target Iranian forces, claiming they used “restraint.”
The United States says it made those strikes because they believed Iranian forces were preparing to attack American ships and personnel near the Strait of Hormuz.
However, it’s important to note here that Iran hasn’t said the ceasefire is off yet. So… status quo?
Again… re: the peace deal. We’ll believe it when we see it.
Texas Primary
-via NY Times
And in Texas – it was election night! It was primary night in multiple places but the primary in Texas was closely watched as four-time Republican Senator John Coryn took on Ken Paxton, the former AG of the state who is so riddled with scandals that Trump had no choice but to endorce him at the last minute.
My guy – be original for once! (jk, he could never)
Cornyn looked to be behind from the jump, even as the early voting numbers came in. And look, it’s not like Cornyn’s great and I do believe that Democrats have a really solid chance of taking back the House, and maybe even the Senate, this year. But the Democrats just don’t invest in Texas. That’s a purple state – I already got mad about this so I don’t want to be mad again but Texas is factually, according to Pew Research, a purple state. It’s 1% more Democratic that it is Republican. Every statewide seat should be a tossup but it’s disenfranchised like you wouldn’t believe and then Democrats don’t have the foresight to have a single brave and spend some money in there.
So who knows what’s going to happen in November, obviously I think James Talarico, who is a good man and a good politician, would be the better choice for America and for Texas but if he’s going to lose I’d much rather see Cornyn that Paxton in the Senate. Ya know?
It’s just a bummer, is all.
It’s shortsighted of the democrats to not support Dems in Texas and it’s shortsighted of Texas Republicans to vote for Paxton, knowing his history, seeing how wildly corrupt he is, and thinking he’ll ever do anything for them besides be super corrupt.
That being said… there’s not one ounce of quit in me. 435 House seats. 33 Senate seats.
And we’re fighting for every single one of them.
We are the deciders.
Nothing is predetermined until we say it is.
And that’s it. That’s the news.
I mean, the other thing is that Trump went for ANOTHER yearly physical today. He just had a yearly seven months ago.
You’ll be shocked to hear the boy is fit as a fiddle.
You couldn’t pay me to cover that story. Well, that’s not true. Would love to get paid! But I’m not going to sit here and carry water for this administration, especially when it comes to lies about his health. That man is unwell.
But that’s really it.
I’m proud of sunscreen. It smells good and it protects.
But more than sunscreen. Because you smell good and protect, and I don’t think you’re a scam… I’m proud of you.