Annoyed Diplomat
@annoyeddiplomat.bsky.social
Yes, I am a diplomat. Yes, I'm annoyed. No, I'm not Keri Russell.
Fair, though I think there's a good chance that things get much more violent in 2026-7. Almost everyone in the administration is behaving like they'll refuse to allow a peaceful transition. I think the big question is whether they perceive a Dem Congress as a transition or a manageable setback.
2027-8 is probably going to be the moment where we see a Yoon moment, especially if Dems retake the House and/or Senate based on how insane they're acting about a basic "do not commit war crimes" video
November 25, 2025 at 6:04 PM
Fair, though I think there's a good chance that things get much more violent in 2026-7. Almost everyone in the administration is behaving like they'll refuse to allow a peaceful transition. I think the big question is whether they perceive a Dem Congress as a transition or a manageable setback.
Reposted by Annoyed Diplomat
As far as I can tell, Weiss's only real skill is convincing rich people to give her lots of money so that she can say things they want to hear. Once she gets the money she doesn't seem at all concerned about the content of what she's saying, as long as it makes the rich people happy.
Bari Weiss’s The Free Press (now part of corporate media) is pushing this Ad on Musk’s X. It portrays Peter Thiel as some sort of savant.
This is the same guy, you know, who has been giving lectures about the AntiChrist.
The “Free” Press is more like The Billionaire Press.
This is the same guy, you know, who has been giving lectures about the AntiChrist.
The “Free” Press is more like The Billionaire Press.
November 25, 2025 at 1:51 AM
As far as I can tell, Weiss's only real skill is convincing rich people to give her lots of money so that she can say things they want to hear. Once she gets the money she doesn't seem at all concerned about the content of what she's saying, as long as it makes the rich people happy.
The NYT is broken and can't be fixed. It doesn't want to be fixed.
The US has no paper of record. Cancel your subscription.
The US has no paper of record. Cancel your subscription.
The New York Times, where the popular mayor-elect of their city is a fringe figure, but the QAnon podcaster who asked him a racist question comes out as a "winner"
This newspaper hates its readers as much as Republicans hate their voters. And if you're still supporting either, you deserve it.
This newspaper hates its readers as much as Republicans hate their voters. And if you're still supporting either, you deserve it.
What a strange framing and characterization. How does one describe his blatantly dishonest, racist question about taxes as “press[ing] the Mayor-elect on his policy proposals”? In what way does this lying troll emerge as a “winner“?
November 25, 2025 at 1:14 AM
The NYT is broken and can't be fixed. It doesn't want to be fixed.
The US has no paper of record. Cancel your subscription.
The US has no paper of record. Cancel your subscription.
My guess is that the best case scenario would be a big rise in private crypto transfers, but that would also come with a lot of crime at the cash/crypto exchange points on either end.
Any scenario would also pummel the recipient countries' economies, which would in turn increase migration.
Any scenario would also pummel the recipient countries' economies, which would in turn increase migration.
Cannot emphasize enough that the main effect of this would be to kill regulated formal-economy cash transfers and replace them with "giving your cash to a criminal syndicate from your home country in exchange for a 20% cut."
November 24, 2025 at 11:02 PM
My guess is that the best case scenario would be a big rise in private crypto transfers, but that would also come with a lot of crime at the cash/crypto exchange points on either end.
Any scenario would also pummel the recipient countries' economies, which would in turn increase migration.
Any scenario would also pummel the recipient countries' economies, which would in turn increase migration.
Reposted by Annoyed Diplomat
damn new organized crime revenue stream just dropped
Trevor Phillips proposes banning "remittances" (ie: imposing currency/exchange controls on international cash transfers by foreign nationals from Britain). He says this would disincentivise immigration, in a Times piece saying the Home Secretary needs to go [much] further
archive.ph/RlXPj
archive.ph/RlXPj
November 24, 2025 at 10:31 PM
damn new organized crime revenue stream just dropped
Reposted by Annoyed Diplomat
Required boilerplate when quoting DHS: “Widespread misrepresentations by Department of Homeland Security agents call into question everything they say about their activities.” presswatchers.org/2025/11/dhss...
DHS's pack of liars | Press Watch
Journalists should not believe anything the Department of Homeland Security says
presswatchers.org
November 24, 2025 at 10:05 PM
Required boilerplate when quoting DHS: “Widespread misrepresentations by Department of Homeland Security agents call into question everything they say about their activities.” presswatchers.org/2025/11/dhss...
Reposted by Annoyed Diplomat
People are always like real job stability is in medicine or the law, but the most secure job is actually white guy writes op-eds about how he’s sick of the minorities.
November 24, 2025 at 8:33 PM
People are always like real job stability is in medicine or the law, but the most secure job is actually white guy writes op-eds about how he’s sick of the minorities.
All I can say is that I wish I were surprised by @foreignaffairs.com editorial judgment.
I presume Foreign Affairs is not yet running my one-word rebuttal "don't"
www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...
www.foreignaffairs.com/united-state...
How to Topple Maduro
And why regime change is the only way forward in Venezuela.
www.foreignaffairs.com
November 24, 2025 at 2:08 AM
All I can say is that I wish I were surprised by @foreignaffairs.com editorial judgment.
Also worth noting that he:
1) is utterly clueless about at least some of the topics he claim to be an expert in (i.e. international law),
2) is not very bright in general,
3) maintains a number of sock puppets for use when he's losing online arguments.
1) is utterly clueless about at least some of the topics he claim to be an expert in (i.e. international law),
2) is not very bright in general,
3) maintains a number of sock puppets for use when he's losing online arguments.
Your periodic reminder that @radiofreetom.bsky.social who many of you like to follow, and who writes for the Atlantic, was pushing the great replacement theory before Trump and has never apologized for it. He's part of what got us here.
November 23, 2025 at 3:25 AM
Also worth noting that he:
1) is utterly clueless about at least some of the topics he claim to be an expert in (i.e. international law),
2) is not very bright in general,
3) maintains a number of sock puppets for use when he's losing online arguments.
1) is utterly clueless about at least some of the topics he claim to be an expert in (i.e. international law),
2) is not very bright in general,
3) maintains a number of sock puppets for use when he's losing online arguments.
The NYT is broken and can't be fixed. It doesn't want to be fixed.
The US has no paper of record. Cancel your subscription.
The US has no paper of record. Cancel your subscription.
The New York Times' story about Trump calling for the execution of members of Congress ran on Page 16 today, with an itty-bitty promo on the front about halfway down the page.
No wonder Trump thinks he can get away with anything.
No wonder Trump thinks he can get away with anything.
November 21, 2025 at 6:13 PM
The NYT is broken and can't be fixed. It doesn't want to be fixed.
The US has no paper of record. Cancel your subscription.
The US has no paper of record. Cancel your subscription.
The NYT is broken and can't be fixed. It doesn't want to be fixed.
The US has no paper of record. Cancel your subscription.
The US has no paper of record. Cancel your subscription.
Jeez. Trump reposted a call to execute six Democratic members of Congress, and it’s not on the front page of the NY Times, and this is the headline—no mention of hanging lawmakers.
November 21, 2025 at 3:22 PM
The NYT is broken and can't be fixed. It doesn't want to be fixed.
The US has no paper of record. Cancel your subscription.
The US has no paper of record. Cancel your subscription.
ex-Twitter is a Nazi bar. It's owned by a Nazi and welcomes Nazis. That doesn't make everyone there a Nazi, but it is fair to ask why anyone would choose to hang out around Nazis. Some would have a good answer! Lots are just Nazi-tolerant.
"Don't go to Nazi bars" is a pretty good rule of thumb.
"Don't go to Nazi bars" is a pretty good rule of thumb.
If you're trying to convince your friends to spend time on Bluesky rather than X, maybe show them this. X is not "the public town square" or about "free speech." It's "just what Elon Musk wants you to see." If you see stuff he doesn't like he'll step in to make sure you don't see it for long.
If you scroll on X, you are only being shown what Elon wants you to see. If you create content on X, no one will see it unless Elon wants them to.
November 21, 2025 at 2:11 AM
ex-Twitter is a Nazi bar. It's owned by a Nazi and welcomes Nazis. That doesn't make everyone there a Nazi, but it is fair to ask why anyone would choose to hang out around Nazis. Some would have a good answer! Lots are just Nazi-tolerant.
"Don't go to Nazi bars" is a pretty good rule of thumb.
"Don't go to Nazi bars" is a pretty good rule of thumb.
The NYT is broken and can't be fixed. It doesn't want to be fixed.
The US has no paper of record. Cancel your subscription.
The US has no paper of record. Cancel your subscription.
Weird. Nothing on the @nytimes.com homepage about the President of the United States calling for the execution of members of the opposition in response to their political speech.
Important: House Dem leaders just said Trump's call for execution of Dems has prompted them to contact US Capitol Police and House Sergeant at Arms to "ensure the safety of these members and their families."
Treat Trump like an unhinged menace. He's weak and in deep political trouble. Don't let up.
Treat Trump like an unhinged menace. He's weak and in deep political trouble. Don't let up.
November 20, 2025 at 7:50 PM
The NYT is broken and can't be fixed. It doesn't want to be fixed.
The US has no paper of record. Cancel your subscription.
The US has no paper of record. Cancel your subscription.
Leavitt is a liar.
More than that, she takes tax money specifically to lie to the American people.
More than that, she takes tax money specifically to lie to the American people.
Leavitt: Why aren't you talking about what these members of congress are doing to encourage violence…. They're literally saying to 1.3 million active duty service members not to follow lawful orders
Reporter: Actually they said illegal orders.
Reporter: Actually they said illegal orders.
November 20, 2025 at 7:23 PM
Leavitt is a liar.
More than that, she takes tax money specifically to lie to the American people.
More than that, she takes tax money specifically to lie to the American people.
Reposted by Annoyed Diplomat
coast guard personnel stationed in virginia should know that it's still a felony here to display a swastika or a noose in a public place with the intent to intimidate someone, but i guess once you're out to sea it's fair game to signal genocidal intent towards your shipmates???
This is fucking horrifying.
Swastikas and nooses are just “potentially divisive”? Are you kidding me?
Swastikas and nooses are just “potentially divisive”? Are you kidding me?
November 20, 2025 at 6:54 PM
coast guard personnel stationed in virginia should know that it's still a felony here to display a swastika or a noose in a public place with the intent to intimidate someone, but i guess once you're out to sea it's fair game to signal genocidal intent towards your shipmates???
Johnson is a liar.
Mike Johnson responds to my question about saying Democrats committed treasonable by death
November 20, 2025 at 6:11 PM
Johnson is a liar.
Miller and Hegseth are behaving as if they want to be able to use force to avoid having to accept losing elections.
Trump is behaving as if Miller convinced him that mutinous troops could be banging on his door at any minute.
Trump is behaving as if Miller convinced him that mutinous troops could be banging on his door at any minute.
Important: House Dem leaders just said Trump's call for execution of Dems has prompted them to contact US Capitol Police and House Sergeant at Arms to "ensure the safety of these members and their families."
Treat Trump like an unhinged menace. He's weak and in deep political trouble. Don't let up.
Treat Trump like an unhinged menace. He's weak and in deep political trouble. Don't let up.
November 20, 2025 at 6:10 PM
Miller and Hegseth are behaving as if they want to be able to use force to avoid having to accept losing elections.
Trump is behaving as if Miller convinced him that mutinous troops could be banging on his door at any minute.
Trump is behaving as if Miller convinced him that mutinous troops could be banging on his door at any minute.
People complain that I exaggerate the incompetence of current US diplomacy, and then Trump's handpicked envoy goes and does something like this.
Thor save us! Looks like Witkoff tweeted what was meant to be a DM, saying the content for this Axios story must have come from "K." Almost certainly this refers to Kirill Dmitriev. It seems the russian side is leaking this for a reason. My shortbus comment in 🧵 was way too generous beyond 😜
November 19, 2025 at 6:33 PM
People complain that I exaggerate the incompetence of current US diplomacy, and then Trump's handpicked envoy goes and does something like this.
This is going around, and once again I feel some obligation as a Jew to make it as clear as possible that Hurwitz does not speak for other Jews or Judaism as a whole (nor do I claim to).
Hurwitz is upset because people have begun pointing out that her beliefs are obscene. That's all.
Hurwitz is upset because people have begun pointing out that her beliefs are obscene. That's all.
Sharing the video of this because it’s such a ghoulish thing to say that I’m honestly in disbelief that I even heard her properly
November 19, 2025 at 5:04 PM
This is going around, and once again I feel some obligation as a Jew to make it as clear as possible that Hurwitz does not speak for other Jews or Judaism as a whole (nor do I claim to).
Hurwitz is upset because people have begun pointing out that her beliefs are obscene. That's all.
Hurwitz is upset because people have begun pointing out that her beliefs are obscene. That's all.
Prediction is a fool's errand, but my *guess* is that Bondi will soon be making an announcement that any release of any Epstein files would interfere with her investigation of Clinton/Summers/Hoffman/whoever. The Senate GOP then relies on that as an excuse to not bother scheduling a vote.
Marjorie Taylor Greene's big takedown of Trump today is powerful because it broadcasts that he's losing control over the GOP. His sudden call for release of files wasn't about transparency. It was about sustaining the illusion that he controls the party.
New piece:
newrepublic.com/article/2033...
New piece:
newrepublic.com/article/2033...
Marjorie Taylor Greene Just Wrecked the Cult of Trump
The Georgia congresswoman’s extraordinary takedown of Trump Tuesday morning sent a signal that no Republican can now ignore.
newrepublic.com
November 18, 2025 at 7:12 PM
Prediction is a fool's errand, but my *guess* is that Bondi will soon be making an announcement that any release of any Epstein files would interfere with her investigation of Clinton/Summers/Hoffman/whoever. The Senate GOP then relies on that as an excuse to not bother scheduling a vote.
Really hoping to see a real response from @governorwalz.mn.gov ASAP.
Federal agents wearing tactical gear used chemical irritants on protesters at the Bro-Tex facility in St. Paul.
Video by reporter Louis Krauss, who is on the scene.
Video by reporter Louis Krauss, who is on the scene.
November 18, 2025 at 6:38 PM
Really hoping to see a real response from @governorwalz.mn.gov ASAP.
Reposted by Annoyed Diplomat
People really should talk more about how consistently dishonest Johnson is. He bears false witness constantly.
This is performative BS, as the Senate has no obligation to take it up. The leverage was to strip this bill in the underlying text last night at rules but Republicans refused to do so. Johnson is trying to do some CYA but he isn't fooling anyone.
November 12, 2025 at 8:51 PM
People really should talk more about how consistently dishonest Johnson is. He bears false witness constantly.
Reposted by Annoyed Diplomat
November 12, 2025 at 3:29 AM