Mena Burke
@menaburke.bsky.social
Soccer/football; history; sanity; beagles; too much coffee; percussion; reading (not the fc); women’s sports. Crystal Palace FC. Washington Spirit. Also - FC Wimbledon fan by marriage
Reposted by Mena Burke
Hungary holds elections in 2 months. And the US Secretary of State is in Hungary campaigning for Viktor Orban. And as you can see, Russian state media loves it.
February 16, 2026 at 11:25 AM
Hungary holds elections in 2 months. And the US Secretary of State is in Hungary campaigning for Viktor Orban. And as you can see, Russian state media loves it.
Reposted by Mena Burke
Of course we also didn’t think he had the power of the purse but he seems to change appropriations at will so …
President Trump keeps threatening to unilaterally impose rules (like voter ID requirements) on upcoming elections.
Today's "One First" explains why, whether as a matter of constitutional law, existing federal statutes, or simple, practical logistics, his (ominous) threats are ultimately empty ones:
Today's "One First" explains why, whether as a matter of constitutional law, existing federal statutes, or simple, practical logistics, his (ominous) threats are ultimately empty ones:
210. The President's Lack of Power Over Elections
President Trump keeps insisting that he can unilaterally change the rules for voting in the midterms. It's not just that he's *wrong*; it's that there's no mechanism through which he could even *try.*
www.stevevladeck.com
February 16, 2026 at 3:38 PM
Of course we also didn’t think he had the power of the purse but he seems to change appropriations at will so …
Reposted by Mena Burke
This hits the nail on the head with what frustrates me about a of the discourse around voting for Presidential candidates on here.
They really don’t get what the work of politics is. They think it’s all marketing and empty words and that’s so right wing.
February 16, 2026 at 1:25 PM
This hits the nail on the head with what frustrates me about a of the discourse around voting for Presidential candidates on here.
Reposted by Mena Burke
Everywhere this man goes he should be treated as if he murdered millions of children, because he did.
The Project 2025 architect who promised to put federal employees “in trauma” is spending $15 million of former USAID funding—money that would have gone toward fighting HIV, polio, malaria, and other diseases—to bankroll his security detail. trib.al/TSV3cmb
February 16, 2026 at 11:47 AM
Everywhere this man goes he should be treated as if he murdered millions of children, because he did.
Glad they’re investigating. No room for racists. And yeah, they’re cowards.
IRFU investigating 'cowardly' online abuse of Edwin Edogbo (✍️@rugby_ie) #EdwinEdogbo #IRFU #OnlineAbuse
IRFU investigating 'cowardly' online abuse of Edwin Edogbo
The 23-year-old Cobh man made his debut for Ireland against Italy.
www.the42.ie
February 16, 2026 at 1:44 PM
Glad they’re investigating. No room for racists. And yeah, they’re cowards.
Reposted by Mena Burke
I wish more people underscored the impact of the Save Authoritarians Act on federalizing our voter data. What could possibly go wrong?
February 16, 2026 at 1:15 PM
I wish more people underscored the impact of the Save Authoritarians Act on federalizing our voter data. What could possibly go wrong?
I don’t want mumps back but if there were a god of vengence who wanted to get the word out, they could selectively send great balls of fire to certain politicians & failsons as proof of existence. Not wishing for it, of course. Just saying it would be a fun way to let the world know you exist.
I will never not share my favorite public health poster.
February 16, 2026 at 1:42 PM
I don’t want mumps back but if there were a god of vengence who wanted to get the word out, they could selectively send great balls of fire to certain politicians & failsons as proof of existence. Not wishing for it, of course. Just saying it would be a fun way to let the world know you exist.
Trump is going to bring back acid rain and skies the color of a weird mustard on summer days in the city.
The U.S. has repealed the 2009 “endangerment finding,” removing the legal basis for regulating greenhouse gases.
The decision could dismantle federal emissions limits for vehicles and industry, even as recent years rank the hottest on record.
California and EDF plan to sue.
The decision could dismantle federal emissions limits for vehicles and industry, even as recent years rank the hottest on record.
California and EDF plan to sue.
US cuts legal foundation for federal climate regulation
On Feb. 12, the United States repealed the so-called endangerment finding, a 2009 cornerstone rule that enabled the federal government to regulate greenhouse gas emissions as a pollutant. Established…
news.mongabay.com
February 16, 2026 at 1:37 PM
Trump is going to bring back acid rain and skies the color of a weird mustard on summer days in the city.
Reposted by Mena Burke
This is happening because OpenAI - a company that does not have anything even approaching a viable business model and is setting money on fire - used borrowed money to advance buy all of the raw materials for RAM production so competitors couldn’t get it
this RAM crisis feels like it’s going to ruin consumer electronics over the next decade. Bloomberg reports that Sony is considering pushing the PS6 release to 2028 or even 2029 www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
February 16, 2026 at 1:01 PM
This is happening because OpenAI - a company that does not have anything even approaching a viable business model and is setting money on fire - used borrowed money to advance buy all of the raw materials for RAM production so competitors couldn’t get it
Reposted by Mena Burke
Friends: for the last four years, my friend Adam has been helping a family evacuated from Kabul. The dad served alongside US military. Their green cards stalled and they now face deportation. We’re raising funds for legal help to file asylum and keep them safe.
Please consider giving and sharing:
Please consider giving and sharing:
Donate to Support Legal Aid for Afghan Family's Asylum, organized by Adam Goldstein
The Afghan family of five I have been working with since 2021 needs help. … Adam Goldstein needs your support for Support Legal Aid for Afghan Family's Asylum
www.gofundme.com
February 16, 2026 at 2:22 AM
Friends: for the last four years, my friend Adam has been helping a family evacuated from Kabul. The dad served alongside US military. Their green cards stalled and they now face deportation. We’re raising funds for legal help to file asylum and keep them safe.
Please consider giving and sharing:
Please consider giving and sharing:
Pathetic and despicable.
These are the oligarchs who seek to rule every aspect of our lives, and the current US regime is doing everything possible to facilitate that because it is owned by them.
February 16, 2026 at 1:33 PM
Pathetic and despicable.
Reposted by Mena Burke
A thing that annoys me about the Axios newsletter is that the tone is consistently “I am one of the top experts on this thing I learned about five minutes ago.” Also that they have 280 sources in the White House but their only source on the left is Rep. Capitulate Middle (D).
February 16, 2026 at 1:13 PM
A thing that annoys me about the Axios newsletter is that the tone is consistently “I am one of the top experts on this thing I learned about five minutes ago.” Also that they have 280 sources in the White House but their only source on the left is Rep. Capitulate Middle (D).
Snowed overnight. Standing outside for a coffee place to open, I now know the life story of a woman in a lovely purple coat and matching hat who thinks I should wear a coat. (It’s in the high 20s Fahrenheit with no wind. It’s not cold).
February 16, 2026 at 1:30 PM
Snowed overnight. Standing outside for a coffee place to open, I now know the life story of a woman in a lovely purple coat and matching hat who thinks I should wear a coat. (It’s in the high 20s Fahrenheit with no wind. It’s not cold).
Really disgraceful behavior. Meanwhile the real criminals are running the country
The conspiracy theories have triggered chaos in the Ohio city, where Haitian immigrant families and the groups working with them are already on edge. talkingpointsmemo.com/news/tiktoke...
TikTokers Came to Springfield Looking for ICE. Then the Child Trafficking Rumors Began.
This story was originally reported by Amanda Becker of The 19th. Meet...
talkingpointsmemo.com
February 16, 2026 at 1:20 PM
Really disgraceful behavior. Meanwhile the real criminals are running the country
Because measles is highly contagious. It’s also dangerous longterm because it stays in your body and you can have consequences down the road.
To my surprise, CDC is still tracking how many children RFK condemns to measles. Cases are getting younger and, of course, it is spreading faster.
www.cdc.gov/measles/data...
www.cdc.gov/measles/data...
February 16, 2026 at 1:04 PM
Because measles is highly contagious. It’s also dangerous longterm because it stays in your body and you can have consequences down the road.
Reposted by Mena Burke
a perennial issue is that people just refuse to believe that the republican party is as far gone as it is.
February 12, 2026 at 5:43 PM
a perennial issue is that people just refuse to believe that the republican party is as far gone as it is.
Reposted by Mena Burke
Taking money from starving children to coddle one of history’s greatest starver of children
The Project 2025 architect who promised to put federal employees “in trauma” is spending $15 million of former USAID funding—money that would have gone toward fighting HIV, polio, malaria, and other diseases—to bankroll his security detail. trib.al/TSV3cmb
February 16, 2026 at 11:40 AM
Taking money from starving children to coddle one of history’s greatest starver of children
Reposted by Mena Burke
South African wildlife photographer Wim van den Heever was crowned Wildlife Photographer of the Year. His winning shot of the elusive brown hyena was a decade in the making.
This photographer spent 10 years chasing the perfect shot of an ultra-rare species. This is how he got it | CNN
South African wildlife photographer Wim van den Heever was crowned Wildlife Photographer of the Year. His winning shot of the elusive brown hyena was a decade in the making.
www.cnn.com
February 16, 2026 at 4:58 AM
South African wildlife photographer Wim van den Heever was crowned Wildlife Photographer of the Year. His winning shot of the elusive brown hyena was a decade in the making.
ICE are terrorizing American citizens, injuring them, and damaging property (remember how mad Repubs get at, oh, graffiti on property?).
They assaulted and injured a person, damaged a car, and then left. That’s not legal‼️
February 16, 2026 at 5:19 AM
ICE are terrorizing American citizens, injuring them, and damaging property (remember how mad Repubs get at, oh, graffiti on property?).
Reposted by Mena Burke
We are going to win. Because we are stronger together and because love is more powerful than hate.
(I am going to go cry now)
(I am going to go cry now)
February 12, 2026 at 8:54 PM
We are going to win. Because we are stronger together and because love is more powerful than hate.
(I am going to go cry now)
(I am going to go cry now)
Reposted by Mena Burke
The young journalist who wouldn't work for them out of a refusal to use AI to write stories is welcome to apply for any of our three open reporting positions at the Mississippi Free Press: www.mississippifreepress.org/jobs/
This AI-loving newspaper editor is teaching young journalists a valuable lesson: editors can be dumbasses
www.cleveland.com/news/2026/02...
www.cleveland.com/news/2026/02...
Journalism schools are teaching fear of the future: Letter from the Editor
Journalism schools lag in teaching AI, crucial for modern reporting, which aids in efficient news gathering and frees reporters for fieldwork.
www.cleveland.com
February 16, 2026 at 5:11 AM
The young journalist who wouldn't work for them out of a refusal to use AI to write stories is welcome to apply for any of our three open reporting positions at the Mississippi Free Press: www.mississippifreepress.org/jobs/
Reposted by Mena Burke
My god do we need UBI
“Researchers have found that when a new plasma center opens in a neighborhood, foot traffic at local grocery stores increases, interest in payday loans declines and crime goes down, an indication of the way money from plasma props up households’ finances for necessities.“
“Researchers have found that when a new plasma center opens in a neighborhood, foot traffic at local grocery stores increases, interest in payday loans declines and crime goes down, an indication of the way money from plasma props up households’ finances for necessities.“
Middle-class Americans are selling their plasma to make ends meet
Last year, people in the U.S. made an estimated $4.7 billion selling their plasma. Donation centers are popping up in middle-class neighborhoods, including suburban strip malls and college towns.
www.nbcnews.com
February 16, 2026 at 4:16 AM
My god do we need UBI
“Researchers have found that when a new plasma center opens in a neighborhood, foot traffic at local grocery stores increases, interest in payday loans declines and crime goes down, an indication of the way money from plasma props up households’ finances for necessities.“
“Researchers have found that when a new plasma center opens in a neighborhood, foot traffic at local grocery stores increases, interest in payday loans declines and crime goes down, an indication of the way money from plasma props up households’ finances for necessities.“
Reposted by Mena Burke
Sweden curling set up a sting operation to catch Canada cheating i’m fucking losing it
February 16, 2026 at 1:52 AM
Sweden curling set up a sting operation to catch Canada cheating i’m fucking losing it
Reposted by Mena Burke
A child dying of cancer spent her final days fighting to free her wrongfully detained father from ICE custody.
This comes just weeks after a mother from Maryland was denied the right to be at her son’s side as he died from cancer.
Not one dime for this cruelty.
www.cbsnews.com/amp/chicago/...
This comes just weeks after a mother from Maryland was denied the right to be at her son’s side as he died from cancer.
Not one dime for this cruelty.
www.cbsnews.com/amp/chicago/...
Ofelia Torres, teen who fought to have her father released from ICE custody, dies from rare cancer
Ofelia Torres, 16, died on Friday from Stage 4 alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer, her father's lawyer confirmed.
www.cbsnews.com
February 15, 2026 at 9:20 PM
A child dying of cancer spent her final days fighting to free her wrongfully detained father from ICE custody.
This comes just weeks after a mother from Maryland was denied the right to be at her son’s side as he died from cancer.
Not one dime for this cruelty.
www.cbsnews.com/amp/chicago/...
This comes just weeks after a mother from Maryland was denied the right to be at her son’s side as he died from cancer.
Not one dime for this cruelty.
www.cbsnews.com/amp/chicago/...