u/NeuroMrNiceGuy

Summary:

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani is launching a recurring livestream series called “Talk with the People,” centered on Twitch and also streamed across YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, X, and Bluesky. The show will let him answer public questions live through Twitch chat, with Mamdani framing it as a way to make City Hall more accessible, especially to younger residents. The series is presented as a modern version of older direct-to-public political communication, drawing inspiration from Mayor LaGuardia’s 1940s radio show “Talk to the People.”

My take:

I love this. We need more elected officials engaging with the public directly instead of just performatively stoking the flames on social media. I am curious about the format and how they will manage the crowd that will inevitably show up, but I hope it goes well and will probably check it out tonight.

What do you think? Is this a modern version of the old fireside chat idea, or is Twitch too chaotic for that comparison? Is anything better than nothing?

Edit: It has since broadcast here: https://www.twitch.tv/videos/2777600599

Summary:

The Pentagon announced it is pausing its participation in a long standing U.S.-Canada military coordination board, citing concerns that Canada has not made enough progress on defense commitments. The move comes amid growing tensions between the Trump administration and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who has been calling for closer cooperation among “middle powers” in response to growing influence from the U.S. and China. The dispute also overlaps with debates over NATO spending targets, Canadian military purchases like the F-35, and the future of North American defense cooperation.

My take:

Its self defeating. The claim made by Colby is also untrue. Canada has increased defense spending (as have all of NATO other than Spain) up to 2% or more.

Context:

You can read more about the board's history here.

Nato defense spending tracker by country.

Carney's speech at Davos WEF (the supposed reason for this change).

Summary:

The Trump administration agreed to create a $1.76 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund” through the Justice Department to settle claims from people who say they were improperly targeted by the federal government. In exchange, Trump dropped his $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns by a former contractor who was later convicted and sentenced to prison. The fund will be overseen by a commission largely appointed by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, and critics are already raising questions about politics, conflicts of interest, and how claims will be evaluated.

My take:

This feels gross (Notwithstanding Trump paying a laughably low amount or no income taxes from 2000-2015). The president should not be leveraging personal lawsuits against federal agencies he directly controls in exchange for a massive DOJ administered fund tied to vague “weaponization” claims with obvious partisan undertones.

Summary:

USDA employees and a federal workers union are suing Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins over a series of increasingly religious emails sent to staff, arguing the messages crossed into unconstitutional religious promotion in the workplace. Plaintiffs say the emails made some non-Christian employees feel pressured, excluded, or worried about retaliation, while the USDA has defended Rollins and said it would not comment on ongoing litigation.

Context:

The complaint.

The email she sent:

At the top of the email, attached hereto as Exhibit A, Secretary Rollins included an

illustration of a stone rolled away from Jesus’ tomb with the words “Christ is Risen” written above

>Team USDA,

>Happy Easter — He is risen indeed!

>Today we celebrate the greatest story ever told, the foundation of our

>faith, and the abiding hope of all mankind.

>Case 3:26-cv-04406 Document 1 Filed 05/13/26 Page 7 of 26

>From the foot of the Cross on Good Friday to the stone rolled away from

>the now empty tomb, sin has been destroyed. Jesus has been raised from

>the dead. And God has granted each of us victory and new life. And

>where there is life — risen life—there is hope.

>No matter the very real trials and hardships we face, fear and sin and

>death do not get the last word. Because on Easter morning, “Hell took a

>body, and discovered God. It took earth, and encountered Heaven. It

>took what it saw, and was overcome by what it did not see.” Now that

>is reason to rejoice!

>And so like the very first disciples to encounter our risen Lord in the

>Upper Room almost two thousand years ago, this Easter let us too be

>alive with hope, full of Paschal joy, and confident in the mission each

>of us has been called for.

>Please know how amazed and grateful I am for the hard work each of

>you do to support our shared mission here at USDA. I hope you and

>your loved ones have a truly blessed and happy Easter. May God

>continue to bless you, your families, and our exceptional country, One

>Nation, Under God.

Summary:

California is launching a new program called Golden State Start that will provide 400 free diapers to newborns discharged from participating hospitals, making it the first state to do so statewide. The program will initially focus on hospitals serving large Medi-Cal populations, with Newsom framing it as a small but direct affordability measure aimed at helping new parents with basic costs.

My take:

I love California. Born and bred. Newsom walks the walk and talks the talk and I support this 100%.

People can sneer all they want, but diapers are expensive as hell and having a newborn is brutal financially for a lot of families (mine included). This is at least tangible help instead of empty culture war nonsense. You want people to reproduce more? You need to help them in this economy. Come at me.