Amanda Marcotte

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Last Notes

2026-06-05 19:56:56 GMT

Long day and I almost forgot! But today's excerpt from Standing Room Only is about how James Talarico is getting MAGA men to show their asses.
Subscribe today! https://salon-standingroomonly.beehiiv.com/
Music by Library Card.
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/116/699/261/405/611/502/original/fce300d70479b366.jpg

2026-04-08 11:37:55 GMT

The right's pitch for women's submission is that it will cause men to provide, protect, and cherish women.
Turns out the opposite is true. Research shows conservative men see tradwives as lazy parasites. They loathe them.
https://www.salon.com/2026/04/08/why-maga-men-actually-loathe-tradwives/

2026-02-02 11:59:23 GMT

Doing a little historial re-examination this morning! Looking back to when Jon Stewart calling Tucker Carlson a "dick" on "Crossfire."
It was treated as a triumph at the time.
But Tucker eventually learned to double, triple, and quadruple down.
https://www.salon.com/2026/02/02/how-jon-stewart-created-tucker-carlson/

2026-01-19 17:21:18 GMT

New polling data shows that it's getting increasingly embarrassing to identify as a Republican, and so Trump voters are slinking away and pretending it never happened.
https://www.salon.com/2026/01/19/some-trump-voters-are-sneaking-away/

2026-01-09 12:15:22 GMT

I've been planning to write for a long time about how ICE and their allies sure are a bunch of whiny bitches, for all they talk about how tough they are.
I'm sad that this is the occasion.
But by god, these "tough" guys are pathetic cowards.
https://www.salon.com/2026/01/09/ice-is-not-the-victim/

2026-01-06 14:37:32 GMT

New Standing Room Only! Today's excerpt: Does Trump know that he's not the president of Venezuela?
Subscribe today! salon.com/newsletter
Music by Plastics.
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/115/848/658/977/493/694/original/70466e225106d518.jpeg

2026-01-05 12:08:58 GMT

The Minnesota daycare hoax is being used by Trump and MAGA to justify harassing Somali-Americans.
It also reveals how much MAGA is fueled by their sexual weirdness.
Why hoax daycares? Because of their sick ideas about sex and gender. An analysis.
https://www.salon.com/2026/01/05/minnesota-day-care-hoax-is-fueled-by-maga-psychosexual-weirdness/

2025-12-31 11:57:27 GMT

I've been tracking right-wing sexual dysfunction for years, and I'm going to cautiously say 2025 is the year the madness broke onto normal people's radars.
Are we hitting peak incel? Maybe! Looking at the year in Mar-a-Lago face and Elon's IVF babies.
https://www.salon.com/2025/12/31/the-right-hit-peak-incel-in-2025/

2025-12-30 14:50:53 GMT

New Standing Room Only! Today's excerpt: A little hope for 2026.
Subscribe today! salon.com/newsletter
Music by Black Market Karma.
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2025-12-29 11:57:21 GMT

MAGA uses conspiracy theories and false accusations of "groomer" to spin a tale where they're the heroes and liberals are villains.
In 2025, the Epstein files revealed the truth: they are, as MAGA voters always were, supporters of sexual violence.
https://www.salon.com/2025/12/29/in-2025-epstein-showed-maga-who-they-really-are/

2025-12-23 14:55:06 GMT

New Standing Room Only! Today's excerpt: Mike Johnson is sincere in his misogyny, as Republican women are learning.
Subscribe today: salon.com/newsletter
Music by Coach Party.
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2025-12-23 12:05:51 GMT

The NY Times headline reads “Vance Refuses to Take Sides in G.O.P. Fight Over Bigotry."
This is false. He took a side: that of neo-Nazis and other assorted bigots and nuts.
I think he thinks it's strategic. An analysis.
https://www.salon.com/2025/12/23/jd-vances-2028-strategy-be-even-worse-than-trump/

2025-12-22 12:10:47 GMT

Trump's all-purpose excuse to avoid answering questions used to be "we'll have it in two weeks."
In 2025, that shifted. Now it's just "I don't know."
To hear Trump talk, he knows absolutely nothing.
I analyze what this shift means.
https://www.salon.com/2025/12/22/trumps-favorite-excuse-in-2025-i-dont-know/

2025-12-19 14:35:53 GMT

It's a risk, but a prediction: The White House ballroom will never be built.
Every red flag for a bunk project is waving. Yes, it's symbolic.
It's why Trump is grasping at cheap ploys like renaming the Kennedy Center. He can't build stuff, just steal.
https://www.salon.com/2025/12/19/the-white-house-ballroom-will-never-be-built/

2025-12-17 12:32:06 GMT

The simplest explanation for why Susie Wiles was so honest about Trump to Vanity Fair: like most Republicans, she's focused on post-Trump plans.
Like the rest of us, Republicans are just waiting for him to die, so we can all move on.
https://www.salon.com/2025/12/17/republicans-are-quiet-quitting-on-trump/

2025-12-12 14:35:07 GMT

Republicans successfully goaded Jasmine Crockett into running for Senate in Texas.
They think they're playing 3D chess, but they are underestimating how chaotic the voters are feeling right now.
Whether she wins or loses, I bet they regret this.
https://www.salon.com/2025/12/12/gop-will-regret-pushing-jasmine-crockett-to-run-for-the-senate/

2025-12-09 15:19:49 GMT

New Standing Room Only! Today's excerpt is a reminder that fascists are as small as they are evil.
Subscribe today! salon.com/newsletter
Music by Chloe Slater.
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2025-12-05 14:34:17 GMT

When I first saw that "rage bait" is the Oxford Word of the Year, I thought, "what a sad commentary on how broken things are."
But the more I thought about it, the more hope it gave me. Having a name for MAGA's addiction is the first step to a solution.
https://www.salon.com/2025/12/05/rage-bait-as-word-of-the-year-its-a-reason-for-hope/

2025-12-02 15:07:02 GMT

New Standing Room Only! Today's excerpt is about how Democrats just keep not getting why they're so unpopular with voters.
Subscribe today! salon.com/newsletter
Music by JR JR.
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2025-11-26 17:20:40 GMT

Special "Standing Room Only!" We're experimenting with reaction content. Let me know what you think!
My colleague Russell Payne and I watch clips of Fox News trying to hype Charlie Kirk as a martyr.
We explain, based on reporting, why it's not true.
https://youtu.be/am1pBfSs2mQ?si=snrzFVkVFVD3Zq72

2025-11-26 12:03:17 GMT

The excuse for Usha Vance's missing wedding ring is bizarre and preposterous. Look, she doesn't do dishes, so why pretend otherwise?
But this bullshit claim tells us a lot about how JD Vance is trying to humble his wife in public.
https://www.salon.com/2025/11/26/usha-vance-doesnt-do-dishes-so-why-the-wedding-ring-excuse/

2025-11-24 12:00:59 GMT

When Charlie Kirk died, MAGA leaders promised it would unify the base, while rallying millions of previous skeptics to the fascist cause.
Neither has happened.
Even better, Kirk's death is causing MAGA infighting that is tearing at the seams.
https://www.salon.com/2025/11/24/charlie-kirks-death-is-tearing-maga-apart/

2025-11-21 11:24:41 GMT

New "Standing Room Only" is a special one, based on original reporting from yours truly.
Most people haven't heard of "Whatever," but you have probably seen the clips, which are ubiquitous.
It's a misogyny factory. And it's radicalizing young men.
https://youtu.be/p-d0ZEWm4PM?si=ht_Ewh6iY6wbITp-

2025-11-17 13:49:50 GMT

People have a good reason to resist acknowledging the male loneliness crisis. They correctly perceive that women are being blamed and told to fix it.
But the real cause is predatory capitalists who profit on keeping men isolated and online.
https://www.salon.com/2025/11/17/dont-blame-women-for-mens-loneliness-blame-capitalism/

2025-11-14 14:09:07 GMT

Nancy Mace keeps insisting Trump "protects" women, even as she voted to release the Epstein files.
This is incoherent, but her nonsense reflects a deeper dilemma facing all Republican women: keeping up their delusions about Trump.
https://www.salon.com/2025/11/14/sorry-nancy-mace-donald-trump-hasnt-protected-women/

2025-11-11 14:20:36 GMT

New Standing Room Only! Today's excerpt is about how to find hope after Democrats caved so massively on health care.
Subscribe today! To mine, if you haven't, but we also have a new one that is a daily Salon round-up! salon.com/newsletter
Music by the Diodes.
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/115/531/502/987/266/220/original/44d2a49f1fd2e53b.jpeg

2025-11-10 14:17:26 GMT

People gossiped about JD Vance and Erika Kirk. Then, inevitably, came the "don't gossip" scoldings.
Screw it! Let's defend wild speculation. First, these two deserve it.
Second, the gossip tells us a lot about JD Vance's political future. An analysis.
https://www.salon.com/2025/11/10/why-jd-vance-and-erika-kirks-hug-made-tongues-wag/

2025-11-04 14:27:33 GMT

New Standing Room Only today! Today's elections are a referendum on whether the consultant class is right that the goal of campaigns should be to fundraise to pay consultants.
Subscribe today! salon.com/newsletter
Music by Monjola.
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/115/491/894/144/129/603/original/7e7a85bb5728e346.jpeg

2025-11-03 14:00:39 GMT

The Democratic establishment's ugly reaction to Zohran Mamdani reveals an unpleasant truth.
They would rather lose elections than change.
The addiction to rich donors and consultants is killing the party. But Mamdani shows a path out. An analysis.
https://www.salon.com/2025/11/03/zohran-mamdani-knows-how-to-win/

2025-10-29 11:29:53 GMT

If the Texas lawsuit against Tylenol seems a little out of the blue, well, it's because Ken Paxton's motives have nothing to do with pregnant women or children.
It's because he's losing his primary race. And he desperately wants Trump's endorsement.
https://www.salon.com/2025/10/29/texas-sues-tylenol-for-the-dumbest-reason/

2025-10-23 21:13:38 GMT

New "Standing Room Only" premiering now is a special one! I interviewed E. Jean Carroll about her battles with Trump and the #MeToo movement.
I also get deep into how Mike Johnson is covering up the Epstein files, and what this tells us about MAGA.
https://youtu.be/Hl_Lc49s2n0?si=5tSWeAcu3qgJGDnR

2025-10-21 13:32:11 GMT

New Standing Room Only! Today's excerpt is about Trump's poopy reaction to #NoKings.
Read and subscribe! https://salon-standingroomonly.beehiiv.com/p/may-a-million-frog-suits-bloom
Music by Ray Charles.
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/115/412/404/147/217/926/original/e1a806cdd2ec4037.jpeg

2025-10-07 13:59:01 GMT

New Standing Room Only! Today's excerpt: how MAGA's Bad Bunny panic is them revealing their full ass.
Subscribe today! salon.com/newsletter
Music by MJ Cole & Freya Ridings.
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/115/333/237/350/921/812/original/3a1f2696ffd69517.jpeg

2025-10-03 12:57:46 GMT

JD Vance's Big Lie about undocumented immigrants and health care has been debunked a million times in a week.
I unpack the deeper message of this lie.
Vance is betting MAGA would rather lose their own health care than see a single immigrant get it.
https://www.salon.com/2025/10/03/jd-vances-shutdown-bet-maga-loves-racism-more-than-health-care/

2025-09-15 12:50:32 GMT

Been working on this for awhile, finally made space (despite everything).
Pete Hegseth seems to believe women have no role in public life — his church certainly teaches it.
Hi wife is his top advisor. I explore how he reconciles this contradiction.
https://www.salon.com/2025/09/15/pete-hegseth-wants-women-in-the-kitchen-but-his-wife-as-his-top-adviser/

2025-08-27 12:44:32 GMT

Ghislaine Maxwell is a liar and sex criminal. But MAGA is using her gender to lull people into thinking she's trustworthy.
Notably, this is the same scam she ran on her and Epstein's victims: Make them think she's "safe" because she's a woman.
https://www.salon.com/2025/08/27/ghislaine-maxwell-serves-trump-like-she-served-jeffrey-epstein/

2025-08-25 12:52:47 GMT

I looked at the videos of the DC takeover MAGA is sharing online.
They aren't about crime. Instead, MAGA thrills to images of innocent people get abused and harassed.
As the Smithsonian attack shows, this is about lashing out at blue America.
https://www.salon.com/2025/08/25/maga-knows-dc-takeover-isnt-about-crime-which-is-why-they-love-it/

2025-08-22 13:02:50 GMT

MAGA faked liberal "outrage" in order to leer at sorority rush videos.
But it was just a few months ago that MAGA was rage-stroking at other women who posted online dances, declaring they were the end of civilization.
I analyze this contradiction.
https://www.salon.com/2025/08/22/maga-cant-decide-if-women-should-be-allowed-to-dance/

2025-08-08 13:00:31 GMT

That Donald Trump broke his promise to fund IVF is no surprise. The man is a shameless liar who sees his own voters as idiots. (Fair!)
I dig into the situation deeper. Project 2025 is using this as an opportunity to blame infertility on birth control.
https://www.salon.com/2025/08/08/trumps-drops-ivf-promise-preferring-to-blame-women-for-infertility/

2025-08-04 12:47:10 GMT

Charlie Kirk used to be proudly secular, but now he's among the loudest Bible-thumpers.
There's many reasons for this. But I'm going to focus on one: to justify his racism.
He admires a pastor who said God cursed Black people to "perpetual slavery."
https://www.salon.com/2025/08/04/how-charlie-kirk-turned-to-religion-to-level-up-his-racism/

2025-08-01 13:18:12 GMT

Trump unleashes Christian bullies in the federal workplace.
His new policy allows federal employees to proselytize at work.
Worse, if you say no to your coworker's attempt to bring you to Jesus, they can report you for "anti-Christian bias."
https://www.salon.com/2025/08/01/trump-seems-to-want-a-tent-revival-in-the-federal-workplace/

2025-07-15 14:24:23 GMT

New Standing Room Only! Today's excerpt: Why Trump's guilt sweat is more due to his memories than specific knowledge about what's in the Epstein files.
Subscribe today: salon.com/newsletter
Music by Wet Leg.
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/114/857/702/911/658/701/original/b3f9f2da2f8dbcb3.jpeg

2025-07-14 12:53:12 GMT

Trump and Noem still plan to destroy FEMA, despite the temporary pause in overt threats to the agency.
The hatred of FEMA is hard for outsiders to parse. So I wrote this short, readable explainer of why MAGA loathes the emergency relief agency so much.
https://www.salon.com/2025/07/14/why-kristi-noem-hates-fema/

2025-07-11 12:54:58 GMT

The IRS ending the Johnson amendment is a big change. It could turn churches into PACs, giving GOP donors a tax break for unlimited political spending.
The good news? It could drive even more people to leave conservative churches. Millions already have.
https://www.salon.com/2025/07/11/trumps-irs-payola-for-churches-will-backfire-on-evangelicals/

2025-07-09 11:30:32 GMT

If there were an "Epstein client list," Trump would be on it.
MAGA influencers hype this conspiracy theory anyway.
Disinfo helps them, even in these cases. Which is why liberals can't win by weaponizing the mythical "Epstein files."
An analysis.
https://www.salon.com/2025/07/09/why-maga-cant-let-go-of-the-epstein-files/

2025-07-08 13:08:47 GMT

New Standing Room Only! Today's excerpt is about the racist panic driving the attacks on Zohran Mamdani — all the attacks on him.
Subscribe today! salon.com/newsletter
Music by the Smashing Pumpkins.
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/114/817/751/429/985/939/original/55ca937592e2c01b.jpeg

2025-07-07 12:51:06 GMT

Tasty MAGA drama alert! Today, I explore the saga of Brett Cooper, a female Ben Shapiro knock-off who hates feminists — but still wanted her male bosses to treat her like an equal.
Of course, they wouldn't. Comedy and analysis.
https://www.salon.com/2025/07/07/brett-cooper-the-maga-girlboss-ben-shapiro-cant-control/

2025-07-01 13:08:38 GMT

New Standing Room Only! Today's excerpt: My response to people who insisted Trump can't run again.
In a just world, they're right. In ours, he can. If physically possible, he will.
Subscribe today! salon.com/newsletter
Music by Roxy Music.
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/114/778/132/704/943/280/original/d352aa4a136538ce.jpeg

2025-06-27 12:47:55 GMT

The Liver King's arrest after threatening Joe Rogan isn't just a "news of the weird" story.
It's a stellar example of how MAGA masculinity defeats itself. All these supposedly "tough" guys are invariably weak.
https://www.salon.com/2025/06/27/joe-rogan-beef-shows-maga-male-fragility/

2025-06-23 10:18:19 GMT

More than almost any other figure in the Trump administration, Karoline Leavitt annoys people, especially women.
Everyone in the White House sucks, so I look at why she's especially aggravating.
Hint: Her ability to irritate you is why she got the job.
https://www.salon.com/2025/06/23/why-karoline-leavitt-is-so-annoying/

2025-06-20 13:00:40 GMT

Morning! Sick of hearing pundits talk about Trump like his decisions have any rationality?
Check out this new episode of "Standing Room Only," about how his severe narcissism is a better predictor of his choices — yes, even when it comes to war.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hIzzivfXdQ

2025-06-17 13:11:44 GMT

New Standing Room Only! Today's excerpt: Trump wants you to believe he's "strong," but this situation in the Middle East only shows how weak he is.
Subscribe today! salon.com/newsletter
Music by Poolside and Satin Jackets.
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/114/698/872/533/882/500/original/5c4aff1c22526e41.jpeg

2025-06-16 10:17:22 GMT

The bodies weren't even cold before MAGA spun up a conspiracy theory, deflecting blame for the Minnesota shooting and saying no, it was actually Democrats who did it. To themselves.
It makes no logical sense. But it does encourage more MAGA violence.
https://www.salon.com/2025/06/16/conspiracy-theories-about-minnesota-shooter-arent-just-deflection-theyre/

2025-06-13 13:03:42 GMT

The new episode of "Standing Room Only" is the best yet! We have laugh-out-loud moments and smart discussion about how pop culture is being used to radicalize young people.
Yes, it's not mocking Noem's plastic surgery, but I promise it's just as good!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyMlLGiqDVM

2025-06-13 10:21:44 GMT

Gavin Newsom didn't choose this fight, but now that he's in it, he's relearning an important lesson: fighting MAGA is a good look.
More Democrats should pay attention.
https://www.salon.com/2025/06/13/gavin-newsom-rediscovers-fighting-maga-is-popular/

2025-06-10 13:01:46 GMT

New Standing Room Only! Today's excerpt is how Gavin Newsom's efforts to make nice with MAGA blew up in his face.
Subscribe today! salon.com/newsletter
Music by Sloan.
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/114/659/197/211/998/448/original/2bcf951e6f22ecd3.jpeg

2025-06-09 10:24:31 GMT

Morning! Big thinkpiece for a Monday is about narcissism, which used to be a little-discussed disorder. Why has it been such a hot topic for the past decade?
Yes, it's Trump. But more than Trump, or he wouldn't have won twice.
https://www.salon.com/2025/06/09/how-everyone-became-a-narcissist/

2025-06-06 10:14:23 GMT

I wrote about yesterday's hilarious Battle of the Terminal Narcissists. I had been losing hope that this would happen!
But this isn't just about two very disturbed people fighting.
This reveals deeper rifts in the MAGA coalition that can be exploited.
https://www.salon.com/2025/06/06/fight-with-musk-reveals-magas-biggest-delusion/

2025-05-30 10:25:18 GMT

The press continues to credulously report that Elon Musk is "leaving" the White House.
The first rule of writing about Musk: His words are meaningless.
There are 20 years of Musk's broken promises. Be skeptical, folks.
https://www.salon.com/2025/05/30/elon-musk-claims-hes-leaving--no-one-should-believe-him/

2025-05-29 21:10:47 GMT

Premiering now! Episode 3 of Standing Room Only, about how a stupid rumor about kids using litter boxes went from Joe Rogan's show to becoming a bill in the Texas state legislature.
My guest is Imara Jones from Translash Media.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGEr3F0uP1k

2025-05-28 11:12:43 GMT

Right-wing media is hyping it and it's spreading on MAGA social media while the mainstream media ignores the story.
Tulsi Gabbard is pushing a dangerous new conspiracy theory: that Biden labeled Republican voters as "terrorists" for opposing vaccines.
https://www.salon.com/2025/05/28/tulsi-gabbard-grows-to-become-donald-most-dog/

2025-05-27 10:13:56 GMT

RFK is using his family name as cover, but make no mistake: the MAHA movement is class warfare against working people.
The restrictions on the COVID-19 vaccine make sure only well-resourced people can get it. Busy working people will just get sick.
https://www.salon.com/2025/05/27/the-hidden-elitism-of-rfks-maha-movement-is-making-america-more-unhealthy/

2025-05-23 10:20:00 GMT

There was a lot of mockery of Kristi Noem for not knowing what "habeas corpus" means. But I was struck by how little she seemed to give a shit.
That's because Noem is part of a tradition that really emerged with Sarah Palin: The proud MAGA bimbo.
https://www.salon.com/2025/05/23/kristi-noems-proud-maga-bimbo-act-builds-on-the-legacy-of-sarah-palin/

2025-05-16 12:47:37 GMT

With SCOTUS fuckery back in the news, it was a delight to speak with Leah Litman about her new book.
She argues that the 6 Republican justices have abandoned legal principles in favor of conspiracy theory-driven grievance.
https://www.salon.com/2025/05/16/a-captured-by-far-right-conspiracy-theories-how-the-drove-the-off-a-cliff/

2025-05-14 11:12:43 GMT

Ben Shapiro's forays into gentle Trump criticism — and the blowback he's getting — are hilarious.
It also underscores a dilemma for right-wing media. Trump's greed and idiocy threaten the long-term health of the MAGA movement — and their gravy train.
https://www.salon.com/2025/05/14/ben-shapiro-is-cracking-under-the-pressure-to-shill-for/

2025-05-13 12:56:58 GMT

New Standing Room Only! I'm excerpting it, but the exciting news is you can read it online with Beehiiv: https://salon-standingroomonly.beehiiv.com/p/two-dolls-for-you-palace-in-the-sky-for-trump
Music by Biig Piig.
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/114/500/633/544/863/277/original/852ed191bb098135.jpeg

2025-05-12 10:17:31 GMT

Gov. Abbott supports a bill in Texas that is being hyped as a "furries" bill.
When you read it, it's a draconian ban on a common form of children's play: dressing up.
But really, the goal here is to stoke anti-LGBTQ hysteria.
https://www.salon.com/2025/05/12/texas-wants-to-ban-kids-from-playing-dress-up-yes-really/

2025-05-09 13:40:51 GMT

New Standing Room Only! Today's excerpt is a request for journalists to stop sane-washing Trump on tariffs.
Read and subscribe! It's free. https://salon-standingroomonly.beehiiv.com/p/new-pope-has-one-thing-going-for-him
Music by 80s hardcore band Gorilla Biscuits.
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/114/478/156/956/428/867/original/dd1ea7c106efff6d.jpeg

2025-05-09 10:09:10 GMT

Trump is a lifelong liar, but I've been struck by how the strategy behind the "Tren de Aragua" lie resembles Bush's "weapons of mass destruction" lie.
Trump's sociopathy plugs into decades of GOP degradation.
But it's also not working as well.
https://www.salon.com/2025/05/09/trumps-deportation-lies-are-nothing-new-remember-bush-wmd-and-iraq/

2025-05-07 10:15:45 GMT

When Trump first mentioned dolls, I thought, "moronic riffing."
It's a talking point, likely from Stephen Miller.
As usual, the White House is borrowing comms strategy from bigots on X.
Trump wants to sell tariffs with misogynist resentment.
https://www.salon.com/2025/05/07/two-dolls-for-christmas-suggestion-swipes-sexism-to-sell-tariffs/

2025-04-28 10:22:45 GMT

After an especially ear-splitting week of tantrums from Nancy Mace, Pete Hegseth, and Stephen Miller, I explore the question: Why does MAGA love adults throwing childish fits?
It's connected to the Mar-a-Lago face and Trump's love of bad music.
https://www.salon.com/2025/04/28/maga-loves-a-tantrum-how-public-meltdowns-became-the-preferred-method-of-communication/

2025-04-23 10:18:51 GMT

Yesterday, the Supreme Court took on the "don't say gay" case. The GOP court is likely to rule that LGBTQ books can be barred from classes.
That sucks, but what struck me was how ultimately futile the MAGA cause is. An analysis.
https://www.salon.com/2025/04/23/too-late-to-opt-out-ultimately-cant-save-the-religious-rights-futile-book-bans/

2025-04-22 13:18:07 GMT

New Standing Room Only! Today's excerpt: Signalgate is an important reminder that resistance and truth-telling still have power.
Subscribe today! salon.com/newsletter
Music by Cousines like Shit.
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2025-04-21 10:19:50 GMT

Elon Musk's baby mama drama is good gossip. But I wrote about it because it's something more: a symptom of how MAGA social media's masculinity obsession is getting downright weird.
This stuff is gross. It's also causing serious harm to audiences.
https://www.salon.com/2025/04/21/elon-musks-baby-mama-drama-matters/

2025-04-18 10:13:47 GMT

I've never observed Lent, because I'm an atheist. But when multiple people flagged Hallow, the MAGA-linked pay-to-pray app, I joined the season of self-sacrifice by using it.
What I found was unsettling, but enlightening.
https://www.salon.com/2025/04/18/an-atheists-unnerving-descent-into-hallow-the-prayer-app-beloved-by-maga-celebrities/

2025-04-17 10:28:50 GMT

Trump justifies his war on foreign students with false accusations of antisemitism.
It's a lie. They are kicking out people for speeding tickets and frog embryos.
Vance gave the game away by saying foreign students are "bad for the American dream."
https://www.salon.com/2025/04/17/jd-vance-exposed-the-truth-about-on-foreign-students-hint-its-not-about-antisemitism/

2025-04-16 10:18:40 GMT

Harvard figured out what everyone else in power needs to understand: Complicity with Trump will not save you.
Standing up isn't just the right thing to do. It's the smart thing to do. He will renege on any "deal" you make and come after you anyway.
https://www.salon.com/2025/04/16/harvard-back-against-trump-institutional-resistance-finally-rises-up--and-sets-a-new-model/

2025-04-15 13:30:23 GMT

New Standing Room Only! Today's excerpt is about how you should never, ever ascribe a good intention to Trump. It will just blow up in your face.
Subscribe today! salon.com/newsletter
Music by Library Card.
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2025-04-15 10:26:17 GMT

In the melee, you may have missed it: Rubio is telling State employees to snitch on colleagues for "anti-Christian bias."
Said "bias" is defined as not agreeing that right-wing Christians are superior and get to dictate the choices of everyone else.
https://www.salon.com/2025/04/15/marco-rubios-hunt-for-anti-christmas-bias-is-creeping-theocracy/

2025-04-14 10:21:00 GMT

RFK's pledge to find "what caused the autism epidemic" in a few short months is a transparent lie, to cover a preordained conclusion.
But digging deeper, it gets much worse: it's about justifying a downright sadistic assault on children's health.
https://www.salon.com/2025/04/14/rfks-pledge-to-discover-the-cause-of-autism-isnt-just-a-ploy--its-a-on-childrens-health/

2025-04-11 10:20:41 GMT

Both Elon Musk and Christian nationalists call empathy "toxic," "suicidal," and even "satanic."
But what they're really worried about is that empathy is *feminine*.
And in MAGA, a woman is the worst thing a person can be. An analysis.
https://www.salon.com/2025/04/11/magas-on-empathy-exposes-misogynist-fears/

2025-04-10 10:12:35 GMT

Trump blinked on tariffs in the face GOP resistance. But he is still imposing inflation — and he will do this again soon.
He wants to exert total cult leader control over Republicans. They should stand up to him now, or eventually he'll get there.
https://www.salon.com/2025/04/10/blinks-on-tariffs-in-face-of-resistance--but-he-hasnt-given-up-on-his-leader-dreams/

2025-04-09 10:13:08 GMT

You know MAGA is getting desperate when they resort to arguing that Daddy Trump is trying to make you a man by putting you through economic misery.
Of course, they're selling the pitch with misogyny so over-the-top I just laughed at it.
An analysis.
https://www.salon.com/2025/04/09/fox-news-desperate-to-defend-tariffs-exploits-magas-masculinity-delusions/

2025-04-08 13:28:52 GMT

New Standing Room Only! Today's excerpt: No, soaring inflation will not produce you a tradwife, MAGA.
Subscribe today! salon.com/newsletter
Music by the Cosmopolitans.
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2025-04-05 10:18:22 GMT

Russell Brand's Christian "conversion" is so conveniently timed that it's a joke.
But MAGA Christians don't care. It's their devil's bargain they make with disgraced celebrities, and Brand is just one of the more odious.
https://www.salon.com/2025/04/05/russell-brands-rape-charges-expose-the-devils-bargain-between-maga-and-christian-celebrities/

2025-04-03 10:15:01 GMT

- reply

Why read past headlines: You, savvy, get that Johnson isn't kidding about his patriarchal views.
I add by looking at how the Project 2025 agenda is focused on getting women out of the workplace.
They mean all women — even Republican leaders.
https://www.salon.com/2025/04/03/mike-johnson-melts-down-after-proxy-vote-failure-exposes-magas-pro-family-lie/

2025-04-03 10:12:25 GMT

Several male commentators have expressed confusion over why Mike Johnson was mad about the bill allowing new parents to vote remotely.
The answer is simple.
He is a sincere misogynist who does not want women in power. Most Republicans agree. Analysis.
https://www.salon.com/2025/04/03/mike-johnson-melts-down-after-proxy-vote-failure-exposes-magas-pro-family-lie/

2025-04-01 13:05:58 GMT

New Standing Room Only! Institutions are cooperating with Trump out of the false assumption that he will leave in 4 years. But he won't — unless people fight him.
Subscribe today! salon.com/newsletter
Music by Disclosure.
https://mastodon.sdf.org/system/media_attachments/files/114/262/852/060/821/541/original/bf6b6dbadfb28254.jpeg

2025-03-26 10:36:51 GMT

RFK leans on "MAHA moms" to push his quack agenda. On the surface, his praise of them seems flattering, like "moms" have knowledge doctors don't.
But looking closer, it quickly becomes evident that "MAHA moms" are part of a larger misogynist agenda.
https://www.salon.com/2025/03/26/the-misogynist-agenda-of-maha-moms/

2025-03-25 13:32:18 GMT

New Standing Room Only! Today's excerpt: Trump's immigration agenda and his sadistic economic agenda increasingly contradict each other.
Subscribe today! salon.com/newsletter
Music by Cloakroom.
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2025-03-25 10:22:56 GMT

Anti-choicers hoped Dobbs would end abortion. Instead, the abortion rate went up.
I spoke with researchers Carole Joffe and David Cohen about why.
This story is about heroes: everyday people who filled the gaps to get women the care they need.
https://www.salon.com/2025/03/25/why-overturning-roe-v-wade-only-made-americas-abortion-rate-rise/

2025-03-24 10:19:10 GMT

- reply

Why read past headlines: You, extremely online, have heard of "Mar-a-Lago face". You've seen Cybertrucks and bad AI art and whatever happened to Elon Musk.
But why do fascists love grotesquerie so much? I have theories. And I quote other theories.
https://www.salon.com/2025/03/24/from-mar-a-lago-face-to-uncanny-ai-art-magas-love-of-ugliness-is-submission-to/

2025-03-24 10:16:27 GMT

I joined the discourse on "Mar-a-Lago face" and the MAGA love of weird AI art. The hideousness of Cybertrucks also matter.
Yes, it's all gross and ugly. That's the point. The visual assault is yet another fascist display of power.
https://www.salon.com/2025/03/24/from-mar-a-lago-face-to-uncanny-ai-art-magas-love-of-ugliness-is-submission-to/

2025-03-21 10:08:31 GMT

Not happy about it, but I called it: the Wisconsin guy whose wife got scooped by ICE on their honeymoon still doesn't regret voting for Trump.
MAGA is a cult and what we know is the worse it gets, the more cult members double down.
https://www.salon.com/2025/03/21/i-dont-regret-the-vote-why-most-stand-by-him-even-as-he-ruins-their-lives/

2025-03-20 10:11:25 GMT

No one has wanted to be a "victim" of "cancel culture" more than Musk.
But while he has successfully gotten liberals to hate him, his efforts at being a MAGA martyr are....lacking.
Even the redhats struggle to make a hero out of this whiner.
https://www.salon.com/2025/03/20/they-basically-wanna-me-efforts-to-turn-musk-into-a-maga-martyr-are-backfiring/

2025-03-19 10:18:39 GMT

Trump claims it will be "weeks" before the fictional "Epstein client list" is released. He's lying, of course.
He'll string them along forever. But what really matters is what this says about how crucial QAnon and other conspiracies are to his power.
https://www.salon.com/2025/03/19/snookers-maga-with-epstein-files-promise-i-would-say-weeks/

2025-03-18 10:23:09 GMT

Musk's "joke" calling Social Security recipients "vampires" reveals a lot: He sees retirees as parasites who don't deserve economic security.
That's why he's going after Social Security. Trump's lies should fool no one on this front.
https://www.salon.com/2025/03/18/elon-musks-on-social-security-unmasks-the-gops-true-disdain-for-retirees/

2025-03-17 10:16:11 GMT

Musk doesn't seem worried that he and Trump threaten social and economic collapse. On the contrary, it appears that's his goal.
Musk swims in a tech-fascist ideology that believes democracy should be replaced by billionaire dictators — like himself.
https://www.salon.com/2025/03/17/the-dystopian-freedom-cities-dream-fueling-elon-musks-destruction/

2025-03-14 13:30:32 GMT

New Standing Room Only. Excerpt about the Democratic failure to show any spine on the budget.
Subscribe today! salon.com/newsletter
Music by Catholic Action.
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2025-03-14 10:21:38 GMT

MAGA leaders are trying to sell Trump's trade war — and any subsequent inflation and job loss — to the base with talk of "sacrifice."
Their lies sound exactly like the crap prosperity preachers peddle.
This is not a coincidence.
https://www.salon.com/2025/03/14/you-must-sacrifice-maga-excuses-for-trade-echo-prosperity-preachers/