Skeptico
@realskeptico.bsky.social
Skeptic (not a cynic or a denier). Explaining critical thinking, and debunking irrationality since 2005 but the responses from the clueless get no better. CA Bay Area. Retired. Amateur photographer. Despises MAGA.
Pinned
Skeptico
@realskeptico.bsky.social
· Dec 14
Can we all please stop calling RFK Jr a vaccine "skeptic"? A skeptic requires evidence, and will accept a claim if there is good evidence for it.
RFK Jr is a denier and a cynic. He denies huge amounts of evidence supporting vaccines. He cynically believes scientists are deliberately harming kids.
RFK Jr is a denier and a cynic. He denies huge amounts of evidence supporting vaccines. He cynically believes scientists are deliberately harming kids.
Reposted by Skeptico
There is no way Senate Dems should vote for DHS funding while Republicans are threatening to nationalize elections and Trump is threatening to do it by executive order. ICE reforms are no longer enough. Their authoritarianism must be fought with every legislative lever available.
February 13, 2026 at 11:41 PM
There is no way Senate Dems should vote for DHS funding while Republicans are threatening to nationalize elections and Trump is threatening to do it by executive order. ICE reforms are no longer enough. Their authoritarianism must be fought with every legislative lever available.
Relieved we finally go to the bottom of this
ICYMI: Fukushima's radioactive hybrid terror pig boom was driven by amorous mothers
Fukushima's radioactive hybrid terror pig boom was driven by amorous mothers
Genetic study finds domestic pigs’ year-round breeding sped gene flow into wild boar
Back in 2021, in the thick of pandemic mania, The Register gleefully reported that "radioactive hybrid terror pigs" were thriving in Japan's Fukushima exclusion zone.…
dlvr.it
February 13, 2026 at 2:51 PM
Relieved we finally go to the bottom of this
Reposted by Skeptico
This is, of course, the point. RFK Jr. wants to eliminate all vaccines, but in particular he wants to eliminate mRNA-based vaccines.
This is troubling for multiple reasons, but one big one is companies won’t want to invest in R&D and clinical trials if they don’t think they can get a fair regulatory review—which is at the end of a long and extremely expensive process.
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/h...
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/10/h...
F.D.A. Refuses to Review Moderna Flu Vaccine
www.nytimes.com
February 11, 2026 at 1:10 AM
This is, of course, the point. RFK Jr. wants to eliminate all vaccines, but in particular he wants to eliminate mRNA-based vaccines.
Yes, RFK and his crew are coming for the flu vaccine next 😠
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
FDA declines to review Moderna application for new flu vaccine
Moderna requests meeting to discuss refusal as decision could have implications for all new and updated vaccines
www.theguardian.com
February 11, 2026 at 1:00 AM
Yes, RFK and his crew are coming for the flu vaccine next 😠
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
FIFA, if you're listening....
www.theguardian.com/football/202...
www.theguardian.com/football/202...
ICE director refuses to commit to pausing operations for 2026 World Cup
Acting ICE director Todd Lyons told a congressional committee that his agency was ‘key’ to World Cup security plans
www.theguardian.com
February 11, 2026 at 12:46 AM
FIFA, if you're listening....
www.theguardian.com/football/202...
www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Reposted by Skeptico
/2 The root of the increasingly unhinged rage of people like Lisa McLain (R-Malbolge) is that they don’t have anything other than broad, stupid, racist generalizations. When you refuse to indulge in it with them, when you see individuals, they have nothing.
February 10, 2026 at 3:34 PM
/2 The root of the increasingly unhinged rage of people like Lisa McLain (R-Malbolge) is that they don’t have anything other than broad, stupid, racist generalizations. When you refuse to indulge in it with them, when you see individuals, they have nothing.
Who brings their own food with them when they visit Italy? 😲
February 9, 2026 at 5:51 PM
Who brings their own food with them when they visit Italy? 😲
That the halftime show included gay latino singer Ricky Martin singing in Spanish was just the perfect extra thing for MAGA to get get outraged about.
Or it would be if they knew who he was.
Or it would be if they knew who he was.
February 9, 2026 at 1:56 AM
That the halftime show included gay latino singer Ricky Martin singing in Spanish was just the perfect extra thing for MAGA to get get outraged about.
Or it would be if they knew who he was.
Or it would be if they knew who he was.
I'm pretty sure they won't stop him from trying.
Does he mean he'll try to stop Trump from doing it?
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Does he mean he'll try to stop Trump from doing it?
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Democrats will stop Trump from trying to nationalize midterms, Jeffries says
Top House Democrat says president’s suggestion for Republicans to ‘take over’ elections really means ‘steal it’
www.theguardian.com
February 8, 2026 at 11:36 PM
I'm pretty sure they won't stop him from trying.
Does he mean he'll try to stop Trump from doing it?
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Does he mean he'll try to stop Trump from doing it?
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Reposted by Skeptico
In Minnesota, ICE agents are illegally racially profiling residents, drawing weapons during arrests, claiming people’s citizenship documents are fake, and leaving people with long-lasting injuries.
There is no excuse for Democrats to continue funding these jackbooted thugs.
There is no excuse for Democrats to continue funding these jackbooted thugs.
February 7, 2026 at 10:00 PM
In Minnesota, ICE agents are illegally racially profiling residents, drawing weapons during arrests, claiming people’s citizenship documents are fake, and leaving people with long-lasting injuries.
There is no excuse for Democrats to continue funding these jackbooted thugs.
There is no excuse for Democrats to continue funding these jackbooted thugs.
Reposted by Skeptico
on the balance i think partisan gerrymandering is bad but the only way it ends is if democrats weaponize it against republicans everywhere they can. wiping out republican lawmakers in blue states might bring the GOP to the table to end the practice.
February 7, 2026 at 2:35 PM
on the balance i think partisan gerrymandering is bad but the only way it ends is if democrats weaponize it against republicans everywhere they can. wiping out republican lawmakers in blue states might bring the GOP to the table to end the practice.
Newsom doesn't quite fit the normal weak Schumer Dem model. There are some issues with him but weakness in a fight isn't one of them. We need more like that.
Republicans are appalled by the California redistricting, because their working theory was that Democrats wouldn't fight back. Now, to be fair, that theory wasn't crazy; it was based on empirical data collected over a long period.
February 7, 2026 at 2:47 PM
Newsom doesn't quite fit the normal weak Schumer Dem model. There are some issues with him but weakness in a fight isn't one of them. We need more like that.
But... I was told Trump would end the war on day 1 🤔
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
US wants Russia and Ukraine to end war by June, says Zelensky
The Ukrainian leader says difficult issues remain, as Russia carries out further strikes on energy facilities.
www.bbc.com
February 7, 2026 at 2:24 PM
But... I was told Trump would end the war on day 1 🤔
www.bbc.com/news/article...
www.bbc.com/news/article...
He will do all of these things, and more
Trump has announced four Republican plans of attack against the midterms: cancel them, nationalize them, raid polling places for their ballots, and surround polling places with troops.
The folks saying he won't do any of these are the same ones who said a bit ago that he wouldn't invade Venezuela.
The folks saying he won't do any of these are the same ones who said a bit ago that he wouldn't invade Venezuela.
February 6, 2026 at 5:12 PM
He will do all of these things, and more
Prepare to be shocked: RFK Jr lied during his Senate confirmation hearings 😧
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Newly revealed emails undermine RFK Jr testimony about 2019 Samoa trip ahead of measles outbreak
Kennedy later said the purpose of his trip had nothing to do with vaccines. US embassy and UN staff at the time said otherwise, emails show
www.theguardian.com
February 6, 2026 at 4:34 PM
Prepare to be shocked: RFK Jr lied during his Senate confirmation hearings 😧
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Reposted by Skeptico
A half decent reporter would never let him get away with a response of “I didn’t see it”. The response should be “I don’t believe you, but regardless I’m showing/telling you what he posted, you’re speaker of the house, you can’t evade a response to this. Either you’re ok with this or you’re not” .
February 6, 2026 at 11:48 AM
A half decent reporter would never let him get away with a response of “I didn’t see it”. The response should be “I don’t believe you, but regardless I’m showing/telling you what he posted, you’re speaker of the house, you can’t evade a response to this. Either you’re ok with this or you’re not” .
Reposted by Skeptico
Pro tip to House reporters: Print this out and have with you BEFORE you interview Mike Johnson later today.
A screenshot from a video posted on Trump's Truth Social account: truthsocial.com/@realDonaldT...
February 6, 2026 at 11:11 AM
Pro tip to House reporters: Print this out and have with you BEFORE you interview Mike Johnson later today.
"You need to smile more when asking questions about raped children" is quite the take
February 6, 2026 at 12:30 AM
"You need to smile more when asking questions about raped children" is quite the take
Reposted by Skeptico
Good god, Schumer has to go. "No masks" is not hard. It's like having a "no pedophiles" rule. If you have to caveat it, you need to just quit and find a better use of your life, like watching paint dry.
Chuck Schumer says ICE should be allowed to wear masks in "unusual circumstances—you know, some guy's picture was put up by a terrorist group or something."
February 5, 2026 at 11:33 PM
Good god, Schumer has to go. "No masks" is not hard. It's like having a "no pedophiles" rule. If you have to caveat it, you need to just quit and find a better use of your life, like watching paint dry.
Reposted by Skeptico
They went through the trouble of severing DHS. Just shut down DHS if republicans don’t agree to your terms. Why extend it? I get that ICE is funded no matter what and won’t close down, but what was the point of severing DHS for leverage if you’re just gonna keep extending the funding?
If Dem senators vote to extend the DHS CR again, they are instantly going to lose a tremendous amount of support from their base who have been in wait-and-see mode on this. I can only assume Dem senators considering this have completely lost touch with their voters. Don’t do it.
February 5, 2026 at 5:47 PM
They went through the trouble of severing DHS. Just shut down DHS if republicans don’t agree to your terms. Why extend it? I get that ICE is funded no matter what and won’t close down, but what was the point of severing DHS for leverage if you’re just gonna keep extending the funding?
Reposted by Skeptico
There are no more “principaled Republicans.” If there were, two or three of them would simply caucus with the Democrats and start to hold this lawless administration accountable of its crimes.
February 5, 2026 at 1:00 AM
There are no more “principaled Republicans.” If there were, two or three of them would simply caucus with the Democrats and start to hold this lawless administration accountable of its crimes.
Reposted by Skeptico
Thank you to everyone in CA including the elected officials and voters who successfully accomplished mid-decade redistricting to swiftly counter the attempted theft by Texas.
Action and tangible results are so much better than gripes and strongly worded letters.
Action and tangible results are so much better than gripes and strongly worded letters.
February 5, 2026 at 1:18 AM
Thank you to everyone in CA including the elected officials and voters who successfully accomplished mid-decade redistricting to swiftly counter the attempted theft by Texas.
Action and tangible results are so much better than gripes and strongly worded letters.
Action and tangible results are so much better than gripes and strongly worded letters.
Reposted by Skeptico
Reasonable people can differ on that point. Maybe voting is a freedom that should be taken away while you're actually serving your sentence. But the idea that you would be cast out of voting forever after you've served your time is profoundly undemocratic and unfair.
February 5, 2026 at 4:08 AM
Reasonable people can differ on that point. Maybe voting is a freedom that should be taken away while you're actually serving your sentence. But the idea that you would be cast out of voting forever after you've served your time is profoundly undemocratic and unfair.
Who could possibly have foreseen this?
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Brazilian influencer who defended US immigration crackdown arrested by ICE
Trump supporter Júnior Pena falsely claimed migrants being rounded up, including Brazilians, were ‘all crooks’
www.theguardian.com
February 2, 2026 at 8:18 PM
Who could possibly have foreseen this?
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Reposted by Skeptico
Another thought: Basically, MAHA wants to turn the entire NIH into the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), the abomination of a Center foisted upon the NIH by woo-loving legislators led by Sen. Tom Harkin back in the 1990s.
February 2, 2026 at 5:52 PM
Another thought: Basically, MAHA wants to turn the entire NIH into the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), the abomination of a Center foisted upon the NIH by woo-loving legislators led by Sen. Tom Harkin back in the 1990s.