Combustible Ho
@abonneyhoffman.bsky.social
Freelance writer & editor, not to mention mediocre mom. Historian by education; strategic marketing management by profession; pain in the arse by avocation. Montani semper liberi in the PNW & Mount Holyoke alumna. Walk softly and carry a big shtick.
Reposted by Combustible Ho
Here's @pkrugman.bsky.social's discussion with Jonathan Gruber, who (among other things) was the guy who originally came up with the "3-Legged Stool" metaphor for the #ACA which I later sort of semi-famously co-opted as my own brand.
substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com/home/post/p-...
Talking Again with Jon Gruber
Immigration, healthcare, and the fate of seniors in America
substack.com
February 14, 2026 at 6:10 PM
Here's @pkrugman.bsky.social's discussion with Jonathan Gruber, who (among other things) was the guy who originally came up with the "3-Legged Stool" metaphor for the #ACA which I later sort of semi-famously co-opted as my own brand.
substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com/home/post/p-...
Reposted by Combustible Ho
⚡️ German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius: We cannot afford another paper tiger like the Budapest Memorandum.
February 14, 2026 at 6:12 PM
⚡️ German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius: We cannot afford another paper tiger like the Budapest Memorandum.
Reposted by Combustible Ho
Russia recruits soldiers as teachers to train children for war.
February 14, 2026 at 6:13 PM
Russia recruits soldiers as teachers to train children for war.
Reposted by Combustible Ho
I published this story last week. Anyone who thinks that this speech is conciliatory, or that Rubio and his State Department aren't even more ideologically committed than Trump is not seeing what's in front of their nose www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Trump official allies with Europe’s far right in attacks on migration and hate speech policies
US state department’s Sarah B Rogers has become face of White House’s hostility to European liberal democracies
www.theguardian.com
February 14, 2026 at 5:51 PM
I published this story last week. Anyone who thinks that this speech is conciliatory, or that Rubio and his State Department aren't even more ideologically committed than Trump is not seeing what's in front of their nose www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Reposted by Combustible Ho
Audience capture is a hell of a drug.
February 14, 2026 at 5:52 PM
Audience capture is a hell of a drug.
Reposted by Combustible Ho
Took him long enough.
MAGA Podcaster Goes Viral After Admitting What His 'Breaking Point' With The Trump Administration Finally Was
www.comicsands.com
February 14, 2026 at 5:47 PM
Took him long enough.
Reposted by Combustible Ho
Dismissing "the purported sins of past generations" in general terms in the context of Europe is quite something, especially when there were attempts at "civilizational erasure" on European soil within the last century.
February 14, 2026 at 5:44 PM
Dismissing "the purported sins of past generations" in general terms in the context of Europe is quite something, especially when there were attempts at "civilizational erasure" on European soil within the last century.
Rubio’s reassurances sound strikingly like an abusive relationship
I don't think he was trying to reassure anyone, and I can't see why anyone in Europe would feel reassured www.ft.com/content/ad26...
February 14, 2026 at 5:54 PM
Rubio’s reassurances sound strikingly like an abusive relationship
Reposted by Combustible Ho
“We are in a great fight for the future of American democracy right now.” - podcast interview with @mawaldman.bsky.social
In America The Law Is King - My Conversation With Michael Waldman Of The Brennan Center
This is the first in a series of conversations we'll be holding about protecting our elections in 2026 and the broader fight to preserve the rule of law and our Constitutional order
www.hopiumchronicles.com
February 14, 2026 at 5:49 PM
“We are in a great fight for the future of American democracy right now.” - podcast interview with @mawaldman.bsky.social
Reposted by Combustible Ho
Bigots, blacks and Cadillacs, let's talk about it.
February 14, 2026 at 5:49 PM
Bigots, blacks and Cadillacs, let's talk about it.
Reposted by Combustible Ho
No Palestinian in Gaza says enough aid is entering since the ceasefire. Nowhere near enough.
U.S. officials can appear on big stages like the Munich Security Conference & make outlandish claims about aid because the U.S. & Israel block foreign journalists from entry, & point to commercial truck...
U.S. officials can appear on big stages like the Munich Security Conference & make outlandish claims about aid because the U.S. & Israel block foreign journalists from entry, & point to commercial truck...
February 14, 2026 at 5:48 PM
No Palestinian in Gaza says enough aid is entering since the ceasefire. Nowhere near enough.
U.S. officials can appear on big stages like the Munich Security Conference & make outlandish claims about aid because the U.S. & Israel block foreign journalists from entry, & point to commercial truck...
U.S. officials can appear on big stages like the Munich Security Conference & make outlandish claims about aid because the U.S. & Israel block foreign journalists from entry, & point to commercial truck...
Reposted by Combustible Ho
"The right people."
Kristi Noem: "When it gets to Election Day, we've been proactive to make sure we have the right people voting, electing the right leaders to lead this country."
February 14, 2026 at 3:22 PM
"The right people."
Reposted by Combustible Ho
1. The Editorial Board is about politics in plain English for normal people & the common good. Everything I do is free and open. But I can't eat free. Subscribe today for just $9 a month. Save 31% by subbing for the year!
Here's what I've done recently.
www.editorialboard.com/join-the-boa...
Here's what I've done recently.
www.editorialboard.com/join-the-boa...
Join the Board today!
The Editorial Board is a newsletter about politics in plain English for normal people and the common good. As such, it will always be open to all.
It is, however, not free to make. It takes time to r...
www.editorialboard.com
February 14, 2026 at 3:25 PM
1. The Editorial Board is about politics in plain English for normal people & the common good. Everything I do is free and open. But I can't eat free. Subscribe today for just $9 a month. Save 31% by subbing for the year!
Here's what I've done recently.
www.editorialboard.com/join-the-boa...
Here's what I've done recently.
www.editorialboard.com/join-the-boa...
Reposted by Combustible Ho
Pam Bondi came to Congress with a list of insults instead of answers
We came with a DOJ Inspector General complaint
This week's @contrariannews.org publisher's note breaks down our 1-2 punch against her lawlessness 👇
We came with a DOJ Inspector General complaint
This week's @contrariannews.org publisher's note breaks down our 1-2 punch against her lawlessness 👇
Contrarians Counter Bondi Bullying
We Land a One-Two Punch: Publisher's Roundup 54
contrarian.substack.com
February 14, 2026 at 3:32 PM
Pam Bondi came to Congress with a list of insults instead of answers
We came with a DOJ Inspector General complaint
This week's @contrariannews.org publisher's note breaks down our 1-2 punch against her lawlessness 👇
We came with a DOJ Inspector General complaint
This week's @contrariannews.org publisher's note breaks down our 1-2 punch against her lawlessness 👇
Reposted by Combustible Ho
DHS Shutdown
Democrats will not approve more money until new limits are placed on DHS/ICE after the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti & Renee Good
ICE plans to spend $38.3B turning warehouses into "detention" centers
GOP approves⬇️
open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...
#NoICEConcentrationCamps
Democrats will not approve more money until new limits are placed on DHS/ICE after the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti & Renee Good
ICE plans to spend $38.3B turning warehouses into "detention" centers
GOP approves⬇️
open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...
#NoICEConcentrationCamps
February 14, 2026 at 3:32 PM
DHS Shutdown
Democrats will not approve more money until new limits are placed on DHS/ICE after the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti & Renee Good
ICE plans to spend $38.3B turning warehouses into "detention" centers
GOP approves⬇️
open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...
#NoICEConcentrationCamps
Democrats will not approve more money until new limits are placed on DHS/ICE after the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti & Renee Good
ICE plans to spend $38.3B turning warehouses into "detention" centers
GOP approves⬇️
open.substack.com/pub/heatherc...
#NoICEConcentrationCamps
Reposted by Combustible Ho
This is insane. theshamblog.com/an-ai-agent-...
An AI Agent Published a Hit Piece on Me
Summary: An AI agent of unknown ownership autonomously wrote and published a personalized hit piece about me after I rejected its code, attempting to damage my reputation and shame me into acceptin…
theshamblog.com
February 14, 2026 at 3:33 PM
This is insane. theshamblog.com/an-ai-agent-...
Reposted by Combustible Ho
Mifflin Gibbs came to Canada for a better life.
In that new life he prospered, becoming an activist, elected official and even played a role in getting British Columbia to join Canada.
This is the story of one of BC's most important early residents.
🧵1/10
In that new life he prospered, becoming an activist, elected official and even played a role in getting British Columbia to join Canada.
This is the story of one of BC's most important early residents.
🧵1/10
February 14, 2026 at 3:01 PM
Mifflin Gibbs came to Canada for a better life.
In that new life he prospered, becoming an activist, elected official and even played a role in getting British Columbia to join Canada.
This is the story of one of BC's most important early residents.
🧵1/10
In that new life he prospered, becoming an activist, elected official and even played a role in getting British Columbia to join Canada.
This is the story of one of BC's most important early residents.
🧵1/10
Reposted by Combustible Ho
Want to share the one we made? Copy this link ⤵️
gifcities.org/gram/5d9d505...
gifcities.org/gram/5d9d505...
February 14, 2026 at 3:01 PM
Want to share the one we made? Copy this link ⤵️
gifcities.org/gram/5d9d505...
gifcities.org/gram/5d9d505...
Reposted by Combustible Ho
A sweeping boycott has begun — targeting tech giants who participants believe are enabling President Trump and his immigration crackdown.
DVDs and public transit: Boycott drives people to ditch Big Tech to protest ICE
A sweeping boycott has begun — targeting tech giants who participants believe are enabling President Trump and his immigration crackdown.
n.pr
February 14, 2026 at 3:02 PM
A sweeping boycott has begun — targeting tech giants who participants believe are enabling President Trump and his immigration crackdown.
Reposted by Combustible Ho
If you love your loved ones as much as Trump lies, you’re set for a lifetime. Happy Valentine’s Day. ❤️
February 14, 2026 at 3:02 PM
If you love your loved ones as much as Trump lies, you’re set for a lifetime. Happy Valentine’s Day. ❤️
Reposted by Combustible Ho
Richard Holmes is the rare author who can make biographies lively. slate.trib.al/c7WrEqQ
Our Greatest Living Biographer Is Back With His First Single-Subject Book in Decades. It’s Enthralling.
The Boundless Deep by Richard Holmes is an enthralling biography of Alfred Tennyson in his youth.
slate.trib.al
February 14, 2026 at 3:02 PM
Richard Holmes is the rare author who can make biographies lively. slate.trib.al/c7WrEqQ
Reposted by Combustible Ho
ICE activity is pushing readers to nonprofit news sites that cover immigrant communities www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/ice-...
ICE activity is pushing readers to nonprofit news sites that cover immigrant communities
From Somalis in Minneapolis to Nepalis in New York City, immigrant communities turn to trusted local news sources. Here's our regular ranking of the top 25 nonprofit news sites in the United States.
www.niemanlab.org
February 14, 2026 at 3:03 PM
ICE activity is pushing readers to nonprofit news sites that cover immigrant communities www.niemanlab.org/2026/02/ice-...
Reposted by Combustible Ho
My long-held, maybe-unprovable hypothesis is that immigration restriction is an issue a loud but small core of right-wing voters want, helped by a pundit class that agrees with it or is helplessly hooked on dumb balance.
Remarkable: Majority of working class voters oppose deportations of undocumented immigrants with jobs/no criminal records, per new Marquette data.
Remember how pundits said 2024 meant Dems must become restrictionist to win back working class? I challenge that here:
newrepublic.com/article/2059...
Remember how pundits said 2024 meant Dems must become restrictionist to win back working class? I challenge that here:
newrepublic.com/article/2059...
February 14, 2026 at 3:01 PM
My long-held, maybe-unprovable hypothesis is that immigration restriction is an issue a loud but small core of right-wing voters want, helped by a pundit class that agrees with it or is helplessly hooked on dumb balance.
Reposted by Combustible Ho
Senator Mark Kelly at MSC: “A form of PTSD is what we’re getting from our former friends.”
February 14, 2026 at 2:38 PM
Senator Mark Kelly at MSC: “A form of PTSD is what we’re getting from our former friends.”
Reposted by Combustible Ho
RUBIO REFUSES TO ATTEND MEETING ON UKRAINE
“I’ve got better things to do”.
It went down like a lead balloon.
But it went ahead anyway. The MSC accepts that the world order has and is being destroyed. Trump is to blame. That’s the title of the conference.
Zelensky made it clear he has compromised
“I’ve got better things to do”.
It went down like a lead balloon.
But it went ahead anyway. The MSC accepts that the world order has and is being destroyed. Trump is to blame. That’s the title of the conference.
Zelensky made it clear he has compromised
February 14, 2026 at 2:38 PM
RUBIO REFUSES TO ATTEND MEETING ON UKRAINE
“I’ve got better things to do”.
It went down like a lead balloon.
But it went ahead anyway. The MSC accepts that the world order has and is being destroyed. Trump is to blame. That’s the title of the conference.
Zelensky made it clear he has compromised
“I’ve got better things to do”.
It went down like a lead balloon.
But it went ahead anyway. The MSC accepts that the world order has and is being destroyed. Trump is to blame. That’s the title of the conference.
Zelensky made it clear he has compromised