Brave Susan / Muslim Abdul August 8, 2026August 8, 2026 Susan Collins had the courage to stand up against her party 61 times (61 times!) when Republicans controlled the Senate in the years since 1997, as they do now — not even counting her brave announcement this past week that she would vote against Trump’s pick for attorney general, Epstein-files-scofflaw Todd Blanche. (Look at that, Mainers! She stands up to Trump!) The only thing is . . . according to an analysis a classmate of mine just did with the help of A.I. . . . that in 60 of those 61 instances (60!), she knew her vote wouldn’t matter, so she got permission to do it, and it was not bravery on display, but cunning hypocrisy. (Look at that, Mainers: she thinks you’re stupid!) (The lone exception was a 2000 legislative-branch appropriations conference report defeated 28–69, with Republicans themselves almost evenly divided, so it was hardly much by way of defiance.) Every one of her 27 votes against a Republican president’s nominee ended in confirmation. And Trump’s Big Ugly Bill? Collins was — bravely! — the sole Republican NO. But, as planned, it squeaked by when Vance broke the 50-50 tie. She is, of course, famously ridiculed for being “concerned” about women losing control over their reproductive organs — etc. — but the only thing I think she’s really concerned about is losing to Troy Jackson. It will be sweet when she does. Abdul El-Sayed FIRES BACK at anti-Muslim attacks in Michigan Senate race (11 minutes). Some of my friends are worried about this guy. On the one hand, he says: “To all of my sisters and brothers of the Jewish faith, or any faith at all, or no faith at all, I want you to know that my commitment to your safety — to Jewish safety — is the same commitment that I have to the safety of my own daughters,” he said. On the other, he sympathizes even more than most of the rest of us do with the plight of the Palestinians. I’m naive enough to think he means what he said above. But even if not, he will be just one of 100 senators. Nowhere near a filibuster-proof majority. So I think the concerns are overdone. My main concern is winning the Senate — and supporting Dr. El-Sayed is a key part of doing that. BONUS How the Reflecting Pool Came to Mirror Trump’s Washington Many of the details of the saga are reported in this article for the first time. They show that the pool, which was supposed to reflect the Lincoln Memorial and the Washington Monument, became a striking reflection instead of the second Trump administration’s willingness to skirt laws, expend millions of dollars, ignore facts and punish truth tellers in service of the president’s demands to put his mark on the capital. Join Indivisible! Support the opposition!