The Daily Gathering
A newsletter for curious souls seeking grounded wisdom

Good morning, beloved community. It's Friday, January 10, 2026, and we're covering Maine's crucial Senate battleground, Trumpty MouthAnus withdrawing from 66 international climate organizations, American recognition of GOP transphobia, and Renee Nicole Good's community raising over $1 million. First time reading? Join over 100s kindred spirits seeking deeper connection. Sign up here.
And, as always, send us your stories and wisdom.
Editor's note: As winter's grip tightens and the cold seeps deep into our bones, we're reminded that this season asks us to turn inward—to rest, to gather warmth where we can, and to tend the fires that sustain us through the dark.
Need To Know
Maine's Senate Race: The Battleground That Could Flip Everything
The bitter cold of a Maine winter bites different when your entire political future hangs in the goddamn balance.
Susan Collins, the 72-year-old Republican senator who's somehow survived in a state that voted against Trump in all three elections, faces her toughest shitstorm yet. Gov. Janet Mills—77, term-limited, and fucking pissed after clashing with Donaldo Shitsburger over trans athletes—jumped into the race in October. She's not alone. Graham Platner, a 41-year-old oysterman and Marine vet, is splitting the Democratic primary, with younger voters flocking to his campaign while Mills holds the over-50 crowd.

This race matters because it's the only Republican Senate seat in a state Kamala Harris won. Democrats need to flip four GOP seats to retake the chamber, and Maine sits at the top of that list alongside North Carolina. Collins has defied political gravity before—crushing Sara Gideon in 2020 despite every poll predicting her demise—but even she acknowledges the tightrope she's walking under Trump's second term.
National Democrats have landed their recruits. The primary happens June 9, with ranked-choice voting in both the primary and general. Over $200 million got dumped into the 2020 race. Expect more this time. The fight for the soul of American democracy runs straight through the rocky coast of Maine, and nobody's backing down.
Donny TurdChomper Just Abandoned the Planet's Climate Future
The air doesn't give a flying fuck about your politics, but Donald MunchShitChute sure as hell does.
In a move that reeks of petty authoritarianism and willful planetary destruction, The Donald of Dumpster withdrew the U.S. from 66 international organizations—including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called them "anti-American, useless, or wasteful," because apparently coordinating global climate action is now some sort of communist plot.

The UNFCCC, established in 1992 and ratified by 197 countries, serves as the foundation for international climate cooperation—including the Paris Agreement, which Trump has now abandoned for the second fucking time. The U.S. is the first and only nation to ever withdraw from this treaty. Climate experts warn this isn't just symbolic theater; it's a strategic blunder that surrenders American influence while the climate crisis accelerates.
Coral reefs—already past their tipping point—continue dying. Ice sheets in Greenland and West Antarctica teeter on the edge of irreversible collapse. The Amazon rainforest transforms slowly into savanna. And Trumpty AssChatterChasm just told the world we're sitting this one out.
David Widawsky of the World Resources Institute called it exactly what it is: "a strategic blunder that gives away American advantage for nothing in return." Meanwhile, our queer siblings face the compounding threats of climate disaster and a government actively hostile to their existence.
America Finally Admits: Yeah, Republicans Have a Transphobia Problem
Your eyes aren't deceiving you—64% of Americans now recognize that the GOP has gone full-tilt into transphobic bullshit.
A YouGov poll surveying over 1,100 U.S. adults found that nearly two-thirds believe transphobia among Republicans is at least somewhat of a problem, with 44% calling it a major fucking problem. Transphobia ranked as the second-highest concern about the GOP, right behind hostility toward immigrants (68%) and ahead of white supremacy (62%) and conspiracy thinking (71%).

Here's the twist that'll make your head spin: 60% of respondents said "trans ideology" was a problem among Republicans, while 61% flagged "gender ideology" as an issue—though the survey conveniently didn't explain what the hell those terms even mean. It's almost like the propaganda is working while people simultaneously recognize the hatred underneath it.
The numbers tell the real story: 125 anti-trans bills passed in 2025. Since 2023, 1,659 bills targeting LGBTQ+ rights—particularly trans people—have been introduced, with 211 becoming law. Bans on gender-affirming healthcare now cover almost 40% of trans youth across 27 states, despite medical experts calling this treatment life-saving.
Even 45% of Democrats surveyed acknowledged transphobia as a problem within their own party. Our trans siblings aren't imagining this shit. The hatred is real, it's documented, and it's fucking deadly.
Winter's Lessons: Earth Crossed Its First Climate Tipping Point
The ocean's temperature doesn't negotiate, and tropical coral reefs just learned that the hard way.
Scientists confirm humanity has crossed our first irreversible climate threshold. Coral reefs worldwide are experiencing record mortality through repeated bleaching events, pushed past their thermal tipping point of 1.2°C. Current warming sits at 1.4°C, and even if we somehow froze temperatures at 1.5°C tomorrow, most reefs would continue collapsing. They won't recover unless global temperatures drop to 1°C above pre-industrial levels—and every day that threshold stays breached, recovery becomes less likely.
The Global Tipping Points Report 2025 identifies roughly two dozen climate systems teetering on the edge. As we breach 1.5°C within the next few years, multiple cascades could trigger: the Amazon converting to savanna, Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets raising seas by meters, the Atlantic circulation collapsing and plunging Europe into brutal winters.
Here's the thing queers understand better than most: systems of oppression and ecological collapse follow the same fucking pattern. Once you cross certain thresholds, you can't simply reverse course. The damage compounds. The vulnerable suffer first and worst. And those in power keep pretending everything's fine until catastrophe becomes undeniable.
"The master's tools will never dismantle the master's house. They may allow us temporarily to beat him at his own game, but they will never enable us to bring about genuine change."
The Gathering History: Environmental activist Wangari Maathai born (1940); Stonewall uprising defendant Stormé DeLarverie born (1920); Climate scientist James Hansen testifies to Congress about global warming (1988); Queer liberation icon Sylvia Rivera died (2002)
Winter's Lessons: Earth Crossed Its First Climate Tipping Point
The ocean's temperature doesn't negotiate, and tropical coral reefs just learned that the hard way.
Scientists confirm humanity has crossed our first irreversible climate threshold. Coral reefs worldwide are experiencing record mortality through repeated bleaching events, pushed past their thermal tipping point of 1.2°C. Current warming sits at 1.4°C, and even if we somehow froze temperatures at 1.5°C tomorrow, most reefs would continue collapsing. They won't recover unless global temperatures drop to 1°C above pre-industrial levels—and every day that threshold stays breached, recovery becomes less likely.
The Global Tipping Points Report 2025 identifies roughly two dozen climate systems teetering on the edge. As we breach 1.5°C within the next few years, multiple cascades could trigger: the Amazon converting to savanna, Greenland and West Antarctic ice sheets raising seas by meters, the Atlantic circulation collapsing and plunging Europe into brutal winters.
Here's the thing queers understand better than most: systems of oppression and ecological collapse follow the same fucking pattern. Once you cross certain thresholds, you can't simply reverse course. The damage compounds. The vulnerable suffer first and worst. And those in power keep pretending everything's fine until catastrophe becomes undeniable.
In The Know
Community & Culture
Renee Nicole Good's family has received over $1.3 million through GoFundMe in less than 24 hours after the 37-year-old mother, poet, and writer was shot and killed by ICE agent Jonathan Ross in Minneapolis. Over 35,500 people donated, with messages of solidarity pouring in globally for her wife and six-year-old son. Support the family
Fifteen must-see LGBTQ+ shows debut in 2026, from Russell T Davies' Tip Toe featuring Alan Cumming to Interview with the Vampire season three's "sexy pilgrimage across space, time and trauma," plus the final seasons of Yellowjackets, Queer Eye, and Hacks. See the full list
Nature & Science
Coral reefs passed their climate tipping point at 1.2°C warming—scientists confirm the first irreversible planetary threshold has been crossed, with ice sheets and ocean circulation systems potentially next. Understand the cascades
Life Hacks & Practices
Employment lawyer Ed Hones reveals four texts you should never send coworkers: requesting rule-bending, awkwardly acknowledging inappropriate messages, discussing job hunting, or trash-talking your boss—all can destroy your case if you ever need to sue your employer. Watch the full breakdown
Food & Nourishment
Winter chicken soup recipes offer comfort and healing—from anti-inflammatory turmeric-ginger broths to creamy parmesan variations, these one-pot meals warm bodies and souls through the coldest months. Browse warming recipes
In-Depth
Minneapolis Mayor to ICE: "Get the Fuck Out"
NBC News | Multiple reporters. Mayor Jacob Frey watches ICE agent Jonathan Ross walk away "with a hop in his step" after shooting Renee Good three times, while federal officials spin bullshit narratives about self-defense that video evidence contradicts—and the FBI revokes local investigators' access to the crime scene. (Read)
Donny TurdATrump Leaks Jobs Data, Breaks Federal Law
Fortune | Eva Mathews. The president posts December employment figures to Truth Social 12 hours before official release, violating Office of Management and Budget policy designed to prevent market manipulation—economists call it "unprecedented" while the White House claims "inadvertent disclosure." (Read)
Etcetera
Political theater prediction list: 1. Trump leaked the jobs report. 2. Trump will call for the execution of whoever leaked it. 3. Trump will then claim him doing it was fake news. Nothing new under this dumpster fire sun.
Clickbait: Employment lawyer warns against four specific texts that could tank your lawsuit—awkward acknowledgments of inappropriate messages top the list alongside trash-talking your boss. Don't text this
More from The Daily Gathering:
The "The Gathering" podcast (Next ep.: "The Deep Exhale: BiWeekly"):
Weekly Topic newsletters:
Poetry and Feelings: https://thepoetmiranda.com
A Personal Queer Journey: https://thistleandfern.org
Light Hearted Banter About Life: https://brandonellrich.substack.com