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Andrew Donaldson

@four4thefire.bsky.social

1.4K followers 1.4K following 2.8K posts

Made by West Virginia. Writer, sometimes a talking head, frequent VA patient Writer/M.E. https://ordinary-times.com/ Commentary for WV Watch https://westvirginiawatch.com/ Subscribe to heardtell.substack.com

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Andrew Donaldson @four4thefire.bsky.social · Feb 19

About me:

Editor/Writer @ordinarytimes.bsky.social

Commentary @westvirginiawatch.com, the outstanding @statesnewsroom.com outlet for the great State of West Virginia

Food fun #blueskysupperclub

Substack, podcast, media, & more @heardtell.bsky.social
Subscribe👇
heardtell.substack.com

Heard Tell | Andrew Donaldson | Substack

Heard Tell: Covering culture and politics, but without all the caterwauling. Writing & media from Andrew Donaldson. Click to read Heard Tell, by Andrew Donaldson, a Substack publication with hundreds ...

heardtell.substack.com

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Reposted by Andrew Donaldson

Ted Hogbin @tedomega.bsky.social · 12h

What’s let of some baked 4 cheese ravioli and sauce. Aldi’s ftw.

#blueskysupperclub

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Andrew Donaldson @four4thefire.bsky.social · 12h

Scratched up some tomato basil and parmesan soup for the week
#blueskysupperclub

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Andrew Donaldson @four4thefire.bsky.social · 17h

Chose your fighter, spice drawer edition

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Andrew Donaldson @four4thefire.bsky.social · 21h

You could nitpick a few things but Shira Efron gives about the best overview of what really is happening with the Gaza "deal" you can get in a short form here.

Namely, Netanyahu is done, and knew this would mean he was done, and there is no "phase two"
www.nytimes.com/2025/10/12/o...

Opinion | Trump’s Peace Plan Dismantled Netanyahu’s Vision for Gaza

www.nytimes.com

Andrew Donaldson @four4thefire.bsky.social · 22h

Punching down on the most vulnerable not so much as strategy but because it is the path of least resistence

USA TODAY @usatoday.com · 1d

The Education Department laid off nearly everyone at the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.

Education Department wipes out special ed office in shutdown layoffs, union says

The Education Department laid off nearly everyone at the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.

bit.ly

Andrew Donaldson @four4thefire.bsky.social · 1d

Latest Ben Sears POETS Day he does every Friday @ordinarytimemag "Most say that he “probably” asked for her hand. I don’t know how much the “probably” comes from a source or because Yeats was a profligate proposer even if you restrict the count to Maud Gonne and family"

POETS Day! Katharine Tynan - Ordinary Times

Katharine Tynan writes about soldiers, their mothers, the world wracked by war, and lost souls. The pot-boilers go on, but poetry is her sink.

ordinary-times.com

Andrew Donaldson @four4thefire.bsky.social · 1d

Scracthed up the vegan kid a roasted mushroom and garlic & herb cheese sauce pizza w/balsamic glaze.
#blueskysupperclub

Andrew Donaldson @four4thefire.bsky.social · 1d

In this house, we are honoring Diane Keaton tonight with some Baby Boom action tonight

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Reposted by Andrew Donaldson

David M. Perry @lollardfish.bsky.social · 1d

The end of federal enforcement of special ed laws. Some states - including MN - will likely be ok. But a lot of disabled kids in a lot of states are going to lose the education that federal law and decades of jurisprudence say they are owed.

Education Department wipes out special ed office in shutdown layoffs, union says

The Education Department laid off nearly everyone at the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services.

www.usatoday.com

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Reposted by Andrew Donaldson

Walter Olson @walterolson.bsky.social · 2d

New from me at Cato: I go through the numerous and massive First Amendment and academic-freedom violations of Trump's proffered "compact" with universities and then talk about the mechanism by which it would be enforced, by way of what I describe as a "retroactive push-button guillotine."

Universities Must Defend Their Independence by Rejecting Trump's "Compact"

The Trump administration has proffered a “compact” to universities that would require them to surrender their independence and academic freedom. How many First Amendment violations can we identify in ...

www.cato.org

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Reposted by Andrew Donaldson

jamelle @jamellebouie.net · 1d

vought's view is that the president is an elected dictator and lo and behold he is seizing outright the power of the purse

Kevin Elliott @kjephd.bsky.social · 1d

Unconstitutionally taking money that the law says must be spent on one purpose & using it for something else—when it's to establish personalist control over the FUCKING MILITARY—is about as dangerous a constitutional crisis/failure as you can imagine

Via: www.nbcnews.com/politics/tru...

The Office of Management and Budget sent a notification to Congress about their intent to use research and development funds to pay members of the military, two sources with direct knowledge tell NBC News.

A spokesperson for the OMB confirmed to NBC News that it plans to use the research and development funds and that there are two years' worth of funds available within the Department of Defense.

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Reposted by Andrew Donaldson

Adam Keiper @adamkeiper.com · 1d

NEW: Remembering Diane Keaton. "The two greatest crime dramas of all time and two of the greatest romantic comedies of all time, in a single decade, all of which have Keaton at their center. That’s not a bad legacy, particularly when 45 more years were to follow."
www.thebulwark.com/p/diane-keat...

Diane Keaton, 1946–2025

The leading lady of the 1970s.

www.thebulwark.com

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Andrew Donaldson @four4thefire.bsky.social · 1d

“Seize the moment. Remember all those women on the 'Titanic' who waved off the dessert cart.”
― Erma Bombeck

a man in a tuxedo and a woman in a black dress are walking through a large room

ALT: a man in a tuxedo and a woman in a black dress are walking through a large room

media.tenor.com

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Andrew Donaldson @four4thefire.bsky.social · 1d

Discuss

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Reposted by Andrew Donaldson

Eric Michael Garcia @ericmgarcia.bsky.social · 2d

Hey! ASU people! If you are in the Tempe area, I'll be speaking at Arizona State University on November 6. Come by, get your book signed and get a selfie.
asuevents.asu.edu/event/2025-b...

2025 Bolmarcich Memorial Lecture: Eric Garcia | ASU Events

Eric Garcia is the 2025 speaker for the Lawrence J. and Virginia Devlin Bolmarcich Memorial Lecture Series. He is an internationally recognized journalist that speaks on issues of accessibility for au...

asuevents.asu.edu

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Reposted by Andrew Donaldson

Bradley P. Moss @bradmossesq.bsky.social · 2d

That sound you hear is plaintiff lawyers popping champagne corks and DOJ lawyers groaning.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 2d

Q: How many layoffs have you authorized?

TRUMP: It'll be a lot. And it'll be Democrat-oriented.

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Andrew Donaldson @four4thefire.bsky.social · 2d

The only thing you need to know about this is China doesn't have a midterm election in 2026 or a general election in 2028.

President Trump is trying to win news cycles, Xi is planning for the next decade plus. China don't care about angry posts & tarriffs
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Trump announces new 100 percent tariffs on China

President Donald Trump said he is unhappy about China’s “hostile” move to limit access to rare minerals and may cancel an upcoming meeting with Xi Jinping.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Andrew Donaldson @four4thefire.bsky.social · 2d

The Qataris have biught themselves a presidential administration.

You are either ok with it or you aint.
I aint.

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 2d

Hegseth: "I'm also proud that today we're signing a letter of acceptance to build a Qatari Emeri air force facility at the Mountain Home Airbase in Idaho."

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Andrew Donaldson @four4thefire.bsky.social · 3d

The business partnership between Trump Inc & GCC states first in Syria and now potentially in Gaza is driving foreign policy in the Middle East.

Hey look, greed is better than terrorism, so step in the right direction, but lets all be aware of what it is www.nytimes.com/2025/10/09/u...

How Jared Kushner, a Self-Described ‘Deal Guy,’ Helped Broker a Gaza Breakthrough

www.nytimes.com

Andrew Donaldson @four4thefire.bsky.social · 3d

Check out last nights #thefinal5 w/@jimlokay.com for hard hitting, big "J" journalism like interviewing Maryland Gov Wes Moore, but laugh when coverage of Gaza ceasefire, gov't shutdown, & President Trump's Antifa "roundtable" gets derailed when I mix up 80s sitcom theme songs to my eternal shame...

The Final 5: October 8th, 2025

The Final 5 is a daily recap of the roller coaster that is American politics. It's not your regular newscast and that's something we're proud of.

www.fox5dc.com

Andrew Donaldson @four4thefire.bsky.social · 3d

The Final 5: October 8th, 2025

The Final 5 is a daily recap of the roller coaster that is American politics. It's not your regular newscast and that's something we're proud of.

www.fox5dc.com

Andrew Donaldson @four4thefire.bsky.social · 3d

If you missed me on with @radiomonroe.bsky.social this morning talking the James Comey case, troop deployments to Portland and Chicago, Middle East peace if you can keep it, and more just click this here link to listen
on.soundcloud.com/ZcsUEiBQVzPl...

Morning Show 10-09-25 Hour 2 Andrew Donaldson on Comey and Portland-I70 accident

News. Sports. Talk.

soundcloud.com

Andrew Donaldson @four4thefire.bsky.social · 3d

Good interview here by our friend @jimlokay.com with Maryland Gov. Wes Moore youtu.be/UXPP2nhYKXQ?...

FULL INTERVIEW: Maryland Gov. Wes Moore talks government shutdown, Commanders relocating back to DC

YouTube video by FOX 5 Washington DC

youtu.be

Andrew Donaldson @four4thefire.bsky.social · 3d

The most pointless narrative in all of social & news media right now is the Nobel Peace Prize obsession of social & news media business model that relies on Trump as main character of the day, every day. Quick, name the last three Nobel Peace Prize winners w/o looking...

exactly

a man is saying i 'm not sure that any of that matters .

ALT: a man is saying i 'm not sure that any of that matters .

media.tenor.com

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Andrew Donaldson @four4thefire.bsky.social · 3d

Meanwhile, in MAGA media land...