WTF-Beta

Lovely.

Swing States Remain Underwater

The most politically significant story lies in the states that regularly decide national elections.

Trump is now underwater in every major battleground state:

Arizona: -11

Georgia: -21

Nevada: -16

North Carolina: -13

Pennsylvania: -12

Wisconsin: -14

Florida: -9

Ohio: -8

Several of those states have crossed important thresholds since Trump took office. Florida has moved from +9 to -9. Ohio has fallen from +8 to -8. Nevada has shifted from an even 0 to -16, while North Carolina has gone from 0 to -13.

The deficits are not insurmountable, but they underscore a consistent pattern heading into the midterms: Trump’s standing remains weakest in the states likely to play the biggest role in determining control of Congress.

Where Approval Has Fallen The Most

Every state in the tracker shows a lower net approval rating than it did on January 20, 2025.

The biggest declines have often occurred in states where Trump initially enjoyed some of his strongest support.

Among the largest drops:

Kentucky: +23 to -1 (down 24 points)

Wyoming: +47 to +26 (down 21 points)

Florida: +9 to -9 (down 18 points)

Idaho: +34 to +14 (down 20 points)

West Virginia: +35 to +18 (down 17 points)

Tennessee: +25 to +8 (down 17 points)

Texas: +6 to -10 (down 16 points)

Nevada: 0 to -16 (down 16 points)

Georgia: -4 to -21 (down 17 points)

Ohio: +8 to -8 (down 16 points)

The pattern is striking because the largest shifts are not concentrated only in Democratic states. Many have occurred in places where Trump started his second term with a substantial cushion.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/other/map-shows-trump-s-approval-rating-in-every-state-100-days-before-midterms/ar-AA28HoJH?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=6a6673bf041640d7a00ddb52148e77f6&ei=7

What once looked like waste has become a powerful tool for restoring marine life along Florida’s Gulf Coast. Between 2007 and 2024, the state returned more than 500,000 tons of recycled oyster and clam shells to the Gulf of Mexico as part of a long-term effort to rebuild damaged oyster reefs and coastal habitats. Rather than coming straight from the ocean, the shells were collected from seafood restaurants and processing plants.

Instead of ending up in landfills, the shells were placed in areas where natural oyster reefs had steadily disappeared over the years. At first, the project drew criticism, with some questioning whether it amounted to dumping waste into the ocean. In its early stages, there was little visible evidence that it was working, and even researchers were uncertain whether the effort would succeed. But beneath the surface, critical ecological processes had already begun.

https://en.as.com/latest_news/the-us-dumped-500000-tons-of-oyster-shells-back-into-the-ocean-in-2007-nearly-two-decades-later-they-have-created-a-thriving-habitat-for-thousands-of-marine-species-f202607-n/

Kokushobi

https://www.yahoo.com/news/weather-news/articles/hot-japan-invented-name-161814134.html

assignation

@Jodi said:

Klaus has done some housekeeping on the other forum because of that.

Yea, they've had hundreds and hundreds of bogus accounts for years.

When this was just the backup site the registration didn't require admin approval and we had a zillion spam accounts, too. I deleted them when we moved over here as the permanent WTF, and @axtremus changed registration to require approval.

The only hiccup that I'm aware of is that I rejected @marchant twice, not realizing that it was Ballyhoo with a new name.

Been getting very regular requests for new member registrations. Used to be they were pretty rare but recently they are more regular, probably averaging five or six a week. About a month ago there were 50 or more that came in within a couple of hours. I was like WTF?

Anyway, hopefully I haven't deep sixed any real new members, or old members returning under weird aliases!

banker

money

@CHAS Wow, things could have gone really south in no time.

So glad you are both OK.

colonel

Woke up around midnight to the sound of a sewer cover clanking out in front of our house. I thought it might be kids pulling a stupid prank so I looked out the window to see what was going on. No kids, just a village public works truck and a bunch of guys walking around. Oh, and a huge lake in the street a couple of houses over from us. Water main break.

We didn't get much sleep because of the noise. Generator running the water pump they use to empty the water so they can do the repair, plus trucks to take away what they dug up and trucks to bring fill and cold patch. Between the ongoing water main replacement project and this repair of the old main, our street looks a bit like a war zone.

Good news is the water was back on in time to make coffee this morning! Living in a community where repairs are done promptly is definitely a wonderful thing...

They became best friends - then discovered they were brother and sister

https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g397rl4nzo

I've done refurbished iPads from Apple and they were great. Maybe not as big a savings as buying from another service selling used, but it's like getting a new device.

High-quality materials and components in a refurbished iPhone reduce its impact on the environment. All refurbished iPhone models come with a new battery, a new outer shell, a one-year limited warranty, and free delivery and returns.

This also includes:

Full functional testing, genuine Apple part replacements (if needed), and a thorough cleaning
The original operating system or a more recent version footnote *
All accessories and cables repackaged in a brand‑new box

• If your device is shipped with the original Operating System, the most recent version can be downloaded for free from the App Store.

https://www.apple.com/shop/refurbished/iphone

Jackie is sick, undergoing treatment.

https://abc7.com/live-updates/big-bear-bald-eagle-jackie-latest-health-update-says-bird-received-successful-life-saving-blood-transfusion-remains-critical/19564788/

"We never should have taught them flamenco."

Interesting piece in the New Yorker.

How Biden Enabled Israel’s Aggression Toward Gaza—and Iran

Top officials from the previous Administration now express regret over their failure to rein in Netanyahu.

https://archive.is/JL4Ha

Noodles

I see even Speed Queen is going to electronic controls on some models, but they still have some with mechanical dials. Like this one:

https://www.abt.com/Speed-Queen-Top-Load-Washer-3.2-Cu.-Ft.-in-White-AWN632SP116TW02/p/158384.html

Avoid Samsung washers (and their other large appliances), too. Have heard many complaints about their washers, refrigerators, and ranges. Customer service is horrible if you have a warranty problem; some repair shops won't touch Samsung work because of it.

When our Samsung washer dies I'll probably look at Speed Queen or one of the other old fashioned basic units that doesn't have a zillion cycles but that runs forever with no fuss.