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shadowkat1. Senator from New Jersey, Corey Booker is holding a historic filibuster on the Senate Floor now
Senator Booker set out to hold the Senate Floor as long as he is able. And to break Strum Thurmond's record. [ETA: And he did! He's gone for 25 hours and counting. And he's spoken strong and with passion throughout.]
It is an Anti-Trump Speech that is detailed, ferocious, and holds both Congress and the Executive Branch accountable. He discusses in detail each of Trump's cuts, and each item that the Trump Administration has done. Right now, he's doubling down on Trump's lies on the National Debt. His colleagues have come out to help him hold the floor.
He's been speaking without breaks doubling down on each item, with details, backup, articles, and research, since 7pm yesterday. He has been speaking for 23 hours and 38 minutes, and still going. The record was by Strom Thurmond against the Civil Rights Act, and the last long filibuster was by Ted Cruz against the Affordable Care Act. But this isn't against an act or a law, this is Mr. Smith Goes to Washington moment. This is a Senator standing up against the Trump Administration and its illegal and fraudulent policies. Pushing for the human rights and our democracy.
Ah, current Senator from Hawaii asks a question, but first states "M and Ms" got her through studying for the Bar Exam. She says, "Mounds and Mounds of M and Ms got her through studying for the Bar Exam." Me too! Me Too!
She also states this is a W.T.F...and asks what are the long term consequences of this?
This is a historic and important. He's not just speaking, he's dissecting all the problems with the Trump Administration's policies, and his colleagues are helping him.
I've been listening to it off and on today. Listening to it now.
Tried to talk to Breaking Bad, but sigh. He hates Booker. He hates everyone. I'm renaming him Oscar the Grouch. Yes, my friends, I work for Oscar the Grouch. He even looks and sounds like him. Heck his office and clothes look like they came from a trash can. Also tried to talk to Lawyer, who wasn't into it. Outside of that kept my mouth shut at work.
And here we are.
- There have been 150 million clicks on one social media platform alone. (We have 340 million in the US).
2. Some more (mostly positive) news from the Non-Violent Resistance against Authoritarianism.
* Waltz and staff used Gmail, [yes, this all Dave from Google's fault, he didn't create a secure Gmail] which is even less secure than Signal, for government communications. Trump’s national security adviser is trying to manage his way out of a crisis. But new revelations about his team’s operational security are piling up in the inbox.
One of Waltz’s top aides, for instance, used a personal email to exchange detailed technical information with other federal agencies about sensitive military operations and advanced weapons systems tied to an active conflict.
* Trump aides draft tariff plans as some experts warn of economic damage
White House aides have drafted a proposal to impose tariffs of around 20 percent on most imports to the United States.
* Trump administration says it "mistakenly" deported Salvadoran migrant
The government blamed “an administrative error” for the accidental deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran immigrant married to a U.S. citizen. Officials claim they’re unable to return him to his family in Maryland.
* Widespread layoffs, purge of leadership underway at U.S. health agencies. The move comes after Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s announcement of a sweeping reduction of the Department of Health and Human Services.
* Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey is currently delivering a marathon speech on the Senate floor, protesting Donald Trump's policies. He began speaking at 7 p.m. on Monday and, as of Tuesday afternoon, has surpassed the 21-hour mark, making it one of the longest speeches in Senate history.
[See above.]
* Tesla's new car sales in Denmark experienced a significant decline in March 2025, dropping 65.6% compared to the same month in the previous year, with only 593 vehicles registered, according to Mobility Denmark.
* A federal judge has ruled that Alabama's attorney general cannot prosecute individuals or organizations that assist women in traveling to other states to obtain abortions.
* Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum recently held a phone conversation to discuss strategies for strengthening trade relations and preserving North American competitiveness in light of impending tariffs announced by Donald Trump.
* Democratic leaders and major party committees — including the DNC, DGA, DCCC, and DSCC, along with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries — have filed a lawsuit challenging President Trump’s new executive order, which mandates that voters prove U.S. citizenship before registering to vote in federal elections.
* GOP lawmakers sink Speaker Johnson's bid to block remote voting push
A band of Republican lawmakers sunk an effort by Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to block a plan to allow remote voting for lawmakers who become new parents, a bitter dispute that brought the House floor to a halt. A procedural rule vote to advance the House GOP’s package of bills for the week failed 206-222, with nine Republicans bucking Johnson and voting with all 213 Democrats. The failed vote means, for now, that those pieces of legislation cannot move forward for a final vote. “I am not going to destroy democracy by allowing female members to vote when recovering from birth,” said GOP Representative Anna Paulina Luna of Florida.
* Republicans are in full-blown panic mode over Democrat Josh Weil pulling ahead in a deep-red Trump district.
* Kids ages four to seven have natural fact-checking skills when they encounter misinformation, a new study found.
* China's SpaceSail is expanding where Elon Musk is stumbling. China’s SpaceSail, backed by the Shanghai municipal government, is rapidly scaling its satellite internet presence with plans for 648 satellites by 2025 and 15,000 by 2030, targeting markets where Elon Musk’s Starlink faces regulatory or political roadblocks. SpaceSail is making strategic inroads in BRICS and non-Western countries—partnering with Brazil’s Telebras, complying with Kazakhstan’s regulatory demands, and signing an agreement with Malaysia’s Measat amid rising backlash against Musk in the region.
* OpenAI has made its GPT-4o-powered image generator available to all users, expanding access beyond paid subscribers; free users are reportedly limited to three images per day. The tool saw explosive demand upon launch, sparking viral use cases like Studio Ghibli-style images and fake receipts, raising concerns over copyright and content misuse. OpenAI also announced a $40 billion funding round led by SoftBank, bringing its valuation to $300 billion, alongside a major user milestone: 500M weekly and 700M monthly active users.
* Starlink’s expansion is hampered by Musk’s controversies and refusal to meet local compliance in markets like South Africa and Kazakhstan, and legal disputes in Brazil, where the Supreme Court froze its accounts over defiance of misinformation rulings.
* Google is rolling out a beta feature in Gmail that lets enterprise users send encrypted emails with a simple toggle, without needing to exchange certificates or install special software. Initially available for internal Gmail communications, the feature will expand to external Gmail and third-party inboxes later this year, providing higher security than standard TLS encryption. The new system relies on client-side encryption—not full end-to-end encryption—allowing admins to manage encryption keys and monitor access while offering a seamless experience even for recipients without S/MIME.
* Judge rules Alabama groups can aid out-of-state travel for abortions.
* Judge blocks Trump from ending deportation protection for Venezuelans
About 350,000 Venezuelans who sought refuge in the U.S. were set to lose their work permits and protection against deportation next week. A federal judge delayed that action, which he said “smacks of racism.”
* The Democratic Party is suing Trump: They asked a US court to block Republican President Donald Trump's executive order overhauling the election system, arguing the changes risked denying eligible US citizens the right to vote.https://www.reuters.com/world/us/democrats-sue-trump-administration-over-election-executive-order-2025-04-01/
* US cities seeking to ban natural gas in new buildings just got a big win in court. After a string of discouraging rulings for other cities, a court upheld NYC’s efforts to decarbonize its buildings.
*Scientists have discovered a remarkable way to use spinach leaves to create functional human heart tissue, marking a major breakthrough in regenerative medicine. In a study published in Biomaterials, researchers tackled one of the biggest challenges in tissue engineering—developing a vascular network capable of delivering blood, oxygen, and nutrients to new tissues. Scientists at Worcester Polytechnic Institute achieved this by stripping a spinach leaf of its plant cells, leaving behind a natural cellulose structure with tiny veins that resemble human capillaries.
By introducing live human cells into this delicate framework, they successfully created tissue that functions like heart muscle. This innovation could one day help repair damaged cardiac tissue in patients who have suffered heart attacks. Beyond heart regeneration, researchers believe similar techniques could be used to create scaffolds for bone or cartilage repair. Though further research is needed, this approach could revolutionize medicine by providing a sustainable, cost-effective way to grow human tissue. By blending nature’s design with scientific innovation, the future of regenerative medicine is looking greener than ever.
* X got taken down by hackers for most of a day. For the second time.
So far.
[This is tagged as politics, because I can't add tags.]
Senator Booker set out to hold the Senate Floor as long as he is able. And to break Strum Thurmond's record. [ETA: And he did! He's gone for 25 hours and counting. And he's spoken strong and with passion throughout.]
It is an Anti-Trump Speech that is detailed, ferocious, and holds both Congress and the Executive Branch accountable. He discusses in detail each of Trump's cuts, and each item that the Trump Administration has done. Right now, he's doubling down on Trump's lies on the National Debt. His colleagues have come out to help him hold the floor.
He's been speaking without breaks doubling down on each item, with details, backup, articles, and research, since 7pm yesterday. He has been speaking for 23 hours and 38 minutes, and still going. The record was by Strom Thurmond against the Civil Rights Act, and the last long filibuster was by Ted Cruz against the Affordable Care Act. But this isn't against an act or a law, this is Mr. Smith Goes to Washington moment. This is a Senator standing up against the Trump Administration and its illegal and fraudulent policies. Pushing for the human rights and our democracy.
Ah, current Senator from Hawaii asks a question, but first states "M and Ms" got her through studying for the Bar Exam. She says, "Mounds and Mounds of M and Ms got her through studying for the Bar Exam." Me too! Me Too!
She also states this is a W.T.F...and asks what are the long term consequences of this?
This is a historic and important. He's not just speaking, he's dissecting all the problems with the Trump Administration's policies, and his colleagues are helping him.
I've been listening to it off and on today. Listening to it now.
Tried to talk to Breaking Bad, but sigh. He hates Booker. He hates everyone. I'm renaming him Oscar the Grouch. Yes, my friends, I work for Oscar the Grouch. He even looks and sounds like him. Heck his office and clothes look like they came from a trash can. Also tried to talk to Lawyer, who wasn't into it. Outside of that kept my mouth shut at work.
And here we are.
- There have been 150 million clicks on one social media platform alone. (We have 340 million in the US).
2. Some more (mostly positive) news from the Non-Violent Resistance against Authoritarianism.
* Waltz and staff used Gmail, [yes, this all Dave from Google's fault, he didn't create a secure Gmail] which is even less secure than Signal, for government communications. Trump’s national security adviser is trying to manage his way out of a crisis. But new revelations about his team’s operational security are piling up in the inbox.
One of Waltz’s top aides, for instance, used a personal email to exchange detailed technical information with other federal agencies about sensitive military operations and advanced weapons systems tied to an active conflict.
* Trump aides draft tariff plans as some experts warn of economic damage
White House aides have drafted a proposal to impose tariffs of around 20 percent on most imports to the United States.
* Trump administration says it "mistakenly" deported Salvadoran migrant
The government blamed “an administrative error” for the accidental deportation of Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran immigrant married to a U.S. citizen. Officials claim they’re unable to return him to his family in Maryland.
* Widespread layoffs, purge of leadership underway at U.S. health agencies. The move comes after Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s announcement of a sweeping reduction of the Department of Health and Human Services.
* Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey is currently delivering a marathon speech on the Senate floor, protesting Donald Trump's policies. He began speaking at 7 p.m. on Monday and, as of Tuesday afternoon, has surpassed the 21-hour mark, making it one of the longest speeches in Senate history.
[See above.]
* Tesla's new car sales in Denmark experienced a significant decline in March 2025, dropping 65.6% compared to the same month in the previous year, with only 593 vehicles registered, according to Mobility Denmark.
* A federal judge has ruled that Alabama's attorney general cannot prosecute individuals or organizations that assist women in traveling to other states to obtain abortions.
* Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum recently held a phone conversation to discuss strategies for strengthening trade relations and preserving North American competitiveness in light of impending tariffs announced by Donald Trump.
* Democratic leaders and major party committees — including the DNC, DGA, DCCC, and DSCC, along with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries — have filed a lawsuit challenging President Trump’s new executive order, which mandates that voters prove U.S. citizenship before registering to vote in federal elections.
* GOP lawmakers sink Speaker Johnson's bid to block remote voting push
A band of Republican lawmakers sunk an effort by Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., to block a plan to allow remote voting for lawmakers who become new parents, a bitter dispute that brought the House floor to a halt. A procedural rule vote to advance the House GOP’s package of bills for the week failed 206-222, with nine Republicans bucking Johnson and voting with all 213 Democrats. The failed vote means, for now, that those pieces of legislation cannot move forward for a final vote. “I am not going to destroy democracy by allowing female members to vote when recovering from birth,” said GOP Representative Anna Paulina Luna of Florida.
* Republicans are in full-blown panic mode over Democrat Josh Weil pulling ahead in a deep-red Trump district.
* Kids ages four to seven have natural fact-checking skills when they encounter misinformation, a new study found.
* China's SpaceSail is expanding where Elon Musk is stumbling. China’s SpaceSail, backed by the Shanghai municipal government, is rapidly scaling its satellite internet presence with plans for 648 satellites by 2025 and 15,000 by 2030, targeting markets where Elon Musk’s Starlink faces regulatory or political roadblocks. SpaceSail is making strategic inroads in BRICS and non-Western countries—partnering with Brazil’s Telebras, complying with Kazakhstan’s regulatory demands, and signing an agreement with Malaysia’s Measat amid rising backlash against Musk in the region.
* OpenAI has made its GPT-4o-powered image generator available to all users, expanding access beyond paid subscribers; free users are reportedly limited to three images per day. The tool saw explosive demand upon launch, sparking viral use cases like Studio Ghibli-style images and fake receipts, raising concerns over copyright and content misuse. OpenAI also announced a $40 billion funding round led by SoftBank, bringing its valuation to $300 billion, alongside a major user milestone: 500M weekly and 700M monthly active users.
* Starlink’s expansion is hampered by Musk’s controversies and refusal to meet local compliance in markets like South Africa and Kazakhstan, and legal disputes in Brazil, where the Supreme Court froze its accounts over defiance of misinformation rulings.
* Google is rolling out a beta feature in Gmail that lets enterprise users send encrypted emails with a simple toggle, without needing to exchange certificates or install special software. Initially available for internal Gmail communications, the feature will expand to external Gmail and third-party inboxes later this year, providing higher security than standard TLS encryption. The new system relies on client-side encryption—not full end-to-end encryption—allowing admins to manage encryption keys and monitor access while offering a seamless experience even for recipients without S/MIME.
* Judge rules Alabama groups can aid out-of-state travel for abortions.
* Judge blocks Trump from ending deportation protection for Venezuelans
About 350,000 Venezuelans who sought refuge in the U.S. were set to lose their work permits and protection against deportation next week. A federal judge delayed that action, which he said “smacks of racism.”
* The Democratic Party is suing Trump: They asked a US court to block Republican President Donald Trump's executive order overhauling the election system, arguing the changes risked denying eligible US citizens the right to vote.https://www.reuters.com/world/us/democrats-sue-trump-administration-over-election-executive-order-2025-04-01/
* US cities seeking to ban natural gas in new buildings just got a big win in court. After a string of discouraging rulings for other cities, a court upheld NYC’s efforts to decarbonize its buildings.
*Scientists have discovered a remarkable way to use spinach leaves to create functional human heart tissue, marking a major breakthrough in regenerative medicine. In a study published in Biomaterials, researchers tackled one of the biggest challenges in tissue engineering—developing a vascular network capable of delivering blood, oxygen, and nutrients to new tissues. Scientists at Worcester Polytechnic Institute achieved this by stripping a spinach leaf of its plant cells, leaving behind a natural cellulose structure with tiny veins that resemble human capillaries.
By introducing live human cells into this delicate framework, they successfully created tissue that functions like heart muscle. This innovation could one day help repair damaged cardiac tissue in patients who have suffered heart attacks. Beyond heart regeneration, researchers believe similar techniques could be used to create scaffolds for bone or cartilage repair. Though further research is needed, this approach could revolutionize medicine by providing a sustainable, cost-effective way to grow human tissue. By blending nature’s design with scientific innovation, the future of regenerative medicine is looking greener than ever.
* X got taken down by hackers for most of a day. For the second time.
So far.
[This is tagged as politics, because I can't add tags.]