Good morning, beloved community. It's Wednesday, January 15, 2026. Today: Trump's batshit Greenland obsession threatens to blow up NATO, nine goddamn magnificent state parks calling your frozen ass outside, the fierce case for showing the hell up as an LGBTQ+ ally, and the life hack that'll change your fucking week.

Editor's Note: Mid-January sits in that strange suspended breath between the chaos of holidays and the slow thaw of February—the perfect damn time to dig in and fight.

The cold metal taste of imperial ambition filled the air Wednesday as Donald Trump doubled down on his deranged demand to seize Greenland, telling reporters aboard Air Force One: "One way or the other, we're going to have Greenland." CNN The 57,000 Greenlanders woke up to news that the American president wants to buy their homeland like a fucking foreclosed property. Greenland's Minister for Business Naaja Nathanielsen told UK Parliament that "people are not sleeping, children are afraid," while Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen warned any forced takeover would be "the end of NATO." Seven European leaders issued a joint statement: Greenland belongs to its people. Trump's justification? His absurd "Golden Dome" missile defense system. Meanwhile, Secretary of State Marco Rubio assured senators that military action isn't "a preference" while refusing to rule the shit out completely. The administration is reportedly considering direct payments of $10,000 to $100,000 per Greenlander to sway public opinion—as if you can put a damn price tag on sovereignty.

Step outside and feel it—that crystalline bite of January air slicing through your lungs like clean salvation. Across America, state parks have transformed into snow-dusted sanctuaries where the bullshit of daily life melts into irrelevance. At Pokagon State Park in Indiana, toboggans scream down a quarter-mile refrigerated chute at 35 miles per hour, National Geographic your stomach dropping as ice spray hits your face. In Montana's Bannack State Park, abandoned gold-rush saloons stand frozen in "near-perfect stillness," National Geographic their weathered boards holding 160 years of stories. Michigan's Muskegon State Park offers one of North America's only public luge tracks—you'll feel the ice rush beneath you, guided by trained staff, National Geographic your heart pounding as you become one with velocity. Utah's Dead Horse Point, an International Dark Sky Park, offers heated yurts perched on rust-colored mesas National Geographic where winter snow creates otherworldly contrast. These parks offer accessible features including adaptive ice sleds and all-terrain wheelchairs designed for snow. National Geographic Get your ass outside.

Patty Reeves watched her transgender son struggle when they moved to West Texas five years ago—the school district's bullying so severe they pulled him from public education entirely. LGBTQ Nation But when a neighboring district hosted a policy forum to protect LGBTQ+ students, something was missing: not a single queer family showed up. So Patty and other PFLAG families brought their own chairs to that table, building relationships with school board members that continue bearing fruit today as discriminatory state laws target trans youth. The message from PFLAG's Southern Regional Director couldn't be more goddamn clear: "If there's not a seat at the table for you or your loved ones, bring a chair." LGBTQ Nation In Ohio, a PFLAG member named Sally—who has no transgender family members—showed up anyway to advocate on the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act amendments affecting trans healthcare. She connected the fight to her military neighbor's diabetic child also requiring hormone treatment. LGBTQ Nation "You don't have to be a member of a targeted group to show up, advocate, and stick with them," LGBTQ Nation Reeves writes. Love and liberty are inseparable. LGBTQ Nation Join the damn fight.

Finding joy in the wreckage: Mary Trump, the president's 60-year-old lesbian niece, announced she married "the love of her life" in October 2025—getting engaged on January 20, 2025, the very day her uncle took office for his second term. "I am happy in a way I never would have dared imagine," she wrote on Substack. The black-and-white wedding photos showed two women holding hands, one clutching a champagne flute, 24 chairs arranged on a lawn surrounded by high hedges. Newsweek In dark times, she reminds us, "it is more important than ever to remember there is always light and hope and love to be had if we allow ourselves to let it in."

Streets demand justice: In Minneapolis, community members flooded the streets after ICE agents shot and killed Renee Nicole Good, an unarmed 37-year-old woman, during a raid earlier this month. City Council member Jason Chavez told BBC News: "No one should ever have to get murdered by ICE or by anybody, no matter who they are. Justice needs to be served." The protests highlight growing resistance to federal immigration enforcement as communities refuse to accept state violence in silence.

Art censored, artist unbowed: South African artist Gabrielle Goliath's Venice Biennale pavilion was cancelled eight days before the submission deadline by right-wing minister Gayton McKenzie, who called her work addressing violence against women in South Africa, Namibia, and Gaza "highly divisive." The installation "Elegy" features seven operatically trained women passing a sustained B-note between them for an hour—a ritual lament for victims of gendered violence. "My work is not about violence, but rather foregrounds practices of mourning, survival and repair," Artnews Goliath responded. "It is a work of love and repair, and it will not be cancelled." Ocula She's appealing directly to President Cyril Ramaphosa.

The reef's secret heartbeat: Israeli researchers discovered that coral reefs actively organize the daily timing of microscopic organisms in surrounding waters—creating predictable rhythms invisible to the naked eye. In the Gulf of Aqaba, scientists found that tiny predators called heterotrophic protists surge by 80 percent at night, while coral symbiont genetic signals peak at midday. sciencedaily "The reef is not just passively surrounded by microbes," said lead researcher Dr. Miguel Frada. "It actively structures microbial life in time." sciencedaily These rhythms could serve as sensitive indicators of reef health as climate change hammers our oceans.

Kitchen wisdom: That citrus you bought for holiday cooking is probably still sitting in your crisper going soft. Squeeze every damn lemon and lime into ice cube trays—frozen juice lasts months and drops perfectly into water, tea, or that soup desperately needing brightness.

Sustainable living: January's the month your indoor air gets fucking toxic from sealed windows. Place bowls of water near heating vents to combat dryness, and remember that spider plants and pothos are cheap-ass air purifiers that'll survive your neglect.

Accessibility innovation: If arthritis or mobility issues make jar lids your enemy, wrap thick rubber bands around the lid for grip—or keep a silicone trivet handy. Small adaptations matter.

Seasonal cooking: Root vegetables hit their sweetest after frost exposure—carrots, parsnips, and turnips roasted with olive oil and rosemary become goddamn caramelized candy. Cut them thick and don't crowd the pan.

Food sovereignty: January's the month to inventory your pantry and commit to one local food source this year. Find your nearest community-supported agriculture program or farmers' market—your money stays in your community instead of feeding corporate extraction.

Senate bill blocks Greenland takeover: In The Hill, Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski and Democrat Jeanne Shaheen introduced the NATO Unity Protection Act, with Murkowski calling Trump's threats "a colossal mistake" that gives Russia and China "exactly what they are looking for."

The mass undressing machine: The Grok deepfake crisis exposed how Elon Musk's AI chatbot generated 7,751 sexualized images per hour—primarily of women and children— while the billionaire posted laughing emojis and bikini photos of himself in response to global outrage. CNBC

Seasonal prediction—the auto plant announcement:

Clickbait that actually delivers: Gen Z is sharing their most "Boomer" opinions on Reddit, and holy shit, they're united: cars have too many screens, fridges don't need internet connections, "you don't need an Apple watch," and the loss of ownership to subscription models terrifies them. upworthy Turns out generational warfare is mostly corporate propaganda.