Catherine Prendergast🇺🇦🪬
@badtoss.bsky.social
Guggenheim Fellow, Prof Emerita and Author: The Gilded Edge (Dutton) and forthcoming, a book on America's home grown Soviet spy (37Ink). Oh, and tennis tweets. Expect them.
Lit rep: Mackenzie Brady Watson
Stacks at https://prendergastc.substack.com
Lit rep: Mackenzie Brady Watson
Stacks at https://prendergastc.substack.com
Pinned
American Songbirds for the Kremlin
On Calla Walsh's Trip to Tehran and its Foreboding Precedent
prendergastc.substack.com
I turned my previous thread on Calla Walsh, and why she is in deep, deep trouble, into a substack.
prendergastc.substack.com/p/american-s...
prendergastc.substack.com/p/american-s...
Reposted by Catherine Prendergast🇺🇦🪬
"Age 10". Dwell on this.
February 17, 2026 at 2:23 AM
"Age 10". Dwell on this.
Reposted by Catherine Prendergast🇺🇦🪬
Usually that’s up to the voters, but not when political parties become cults.
February 17, 2026 at 12:38 AM
Usually that’s up to the voters, but not when political parties become cults.
Reposted by Catherine Prendergast🇺🇦🪬
Honestly, besides Stephen Miller, is there *anyone* in the Trump admin you'd be less surprised to find dissolving bodies in acid? (okay, maybe Kennedy, too)
The Epstein files include an order for 55-gallon drums of acid; Bannon abandoned a Florida rental where the Jacuzzi had been wrecked with acid www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general...
February 17, 2026 at 2:19 AM
Honestly, besides Stephen Miller, is there *anyone* in the Trump admin you'd be less surprised to find dissolving bodies in acid? (okay, maybe Kennedy, too)
Reposted by Catherine Prendergast🇺🇦🪬
The DOJ is hiding Epstein files
So we @democracydefendersfund.org sued under FOIA & are moving for summary judgment
It's a democracy 2 step: Art. I Congress leans in while we step forward in Art. III courts
Explained on @ms.now 👇
So we @democracydefendersfund.org sued under FOIA & are moving for summary judgment
It's a democracy 2 step: Art. I Congress leans in while we step forward in Art. III courts
Explained on @ms.now 👇
February 17, 2026 at 2:21 AM
The DOJ is hiding Epstein files
So we @democracydefendersfund.org sued under FOIA & are moving for summary judgment
It's a democracy 2 step: Art. I Congress leans in while we step forward in Art. III courts
Explained on @ms.now 👇
So we @democracydefendersfund.org sued under FOIA & are moving for summary judgment
It's a democracy 2 step: Art. I Congress leans in while we step forward in Art. III courts
Explained on @ms.now 👇
Reposted by Catherine Prendergast🇺🇦🪬
Uhhh
The Epstein files include an order for 55-gallon drums of acid; Bannon abandoned a Florida rental where the Jacuzzi had been wrecked with acid www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general...
February 17, 2026 at 2:22 AM
Uhhh
Reposted by Catherine Prendergast🇺🇦🪬
It’s 4:17 am in Kyiv. ~45 Russian drones still detected in Ukraine air space. Take off of Russian Tu bombers reported - could mean a missile attack in couple of hours. Explosions reported in Dnipro. In Odesa partial blackout after Russia attacked the city’s power station. Monday night in Ukraine
February 17, 2026 at 2:20 AM
It’s 4:17 am in Kyiv. ~45 Russian drones still detected in Ukraine air space. Take off of Russian Tu bombers reported - could mean a missile attack in couple of hours. Explosions reported in Dnipro. In Odesa partial blackout after Russia attacked the city’s power station. Monday night in Ukraine
Reposted by Catherine Prendergast🇺🇦🪬
This Is Definitely His Legacy….
February 16, 2026 at 9:10 PM
This Is Definitely His Legacy….
Reposted by Catherine Prendergast🇺🇦🪬
Imagining a synchronous EU.
"After taking around 30% of the vote in European Parliament elections in June 2024, he has grown Tisza into the most formidable political force Orbán has faced during his 16 years at Hungary’s helm."
apnews.com/article/hung...
"After taking around 30% of the vote in European Parliament elections in June 2024, he has grown Tisza into the most formidable political force Orbán has faced during his 16 years at Hungary’s helm."
apnews.com/article/hung...
Hungarian opposition leader Magyar vows to pull Hungary back toward the West in campaign launch
Hungarian opposition leader Péter Magyar is launching his election campaign and says he can return Hungary to a stronger European path.
apnews.com
February 17, 2026 at 2:19 AM
Imagining a synchronous EU.
"After taking around 30% of the vote in European Parliament elections in June 2024, he has grown Tisza into the most formidable political force Orbán has faced during his 16 years at Hungary’s helm."
apnews.com/article/hung...
"After taking around 30% of the vote in European Parliament elections in June 2024, he has grown Tisza into the most formidable political force Orbán has faced during his 16 years at Hungary’s helm."
apnews.com/article/hung...
Reposted by Catherine Prendergast🇺🇦🪬
"In Pennsylvania, the Shapiro administration is warning federal officials that it will not issue required state permits for two planned immigration detention centers..."
www.spotlightpa.org/berks/2026/0...
www.spotlightpa.org/berks/2026/0...
Shapiro admin tells ICE to drop plans for PA detention centers
ICE detention centers planned for Berks and Schuylkill Counties would burden residents and possibly violate state legal requirements, officials say.
www.spotlightpa.org
February 16, 2026 at 6:52 PM
"In Pennsylvania, the Shapiro administration is warning federal officials that it will not issue required state permits for two planned immigration detention centers..."
www.spotlightpa.org/berks/2026/0...
www.spotlightpa.org/berks/2026/0...
Reposted by Catherine Prendergast🇺🇦🪬
Agreed. The rapid return to traditional roles was so disappointing. Look at women in the news. Dressing like they are at a cocktail party. It’s so reactionary.
February 17, 2026 at 1:29 AM
Agreed. The rapid return to traditional roles was so disappointing. Look at women in the news. Dressing like they are at a cocktail party. It’s so reactionary.
Reposted by Catherine Prendergast🇺🇦🪬
Ahhhh hell, one more before the day is over to end Obama day. 🫡🇺🇸
February 17, 2026 at 1:19 AM
Ahhhh hell, one more before the day is over to end Obama day. 🫡🇺🇸
Reposted by Catherine Prendergast🇺🇦🪬
From New York to New Mexico: new Epstein files shed light on his sprawling ranch outside Santa Fe www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
From New York to New Mexico: new Epstein files shed light on his sprawling ranch outside Santa Fe
Several men appear in photos on the nearly 10,000-acre Zorro ranch, which included a 26,700 sq ft mansion
www.theguardian.com
February 17, 2026 at 1:25 AM
From New York to New Mexico: new Epstein files shed light on his sprawling ranch outside Santa Fe www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Reposted by Catherine Prendergast🇺🇦🪬
MAGA candidate in Texas identified as owner of Jeffrey Epstein ranch www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
MAGA candidate in Texas identified as owner of Jeffrey Epstein ranch
Don Huffines, a self-described ’MAGA Trump Republican’ running for comptroller, revealed as owner of Jeffrey Epstein’s infamous former Zorro Ranch in New Mexico
www.independent.co.uk
February 17, 2026 at 1:24 AM
MAGA candidate in Texas identified as owner of Jeffrey Epstein ranch www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...
Let's go.
Reuters: New Mexico lawmakers on Monday passed legislation to launch what they said was the first full investigation into what happened at Zorro Ranch, where the late U.S. sex offender Jeffrey Epstein is accused of trafficking and sexually assaulting girls and women.
February 17, 2026 at 1:21 AM
Let's go.
Reposted by Catherine Prendergast🇺🇦🪬
Breaking:
Hillary Clinton has accused the Trump admin of a "cover-up" over its handling of the Epstein files.
"Get the files out. They are slow-walking it."
On her upcoming deposition before the Oversight Committee: "We have nothing to hide … We think sunlight is the best disinfectant."
Hillary Clinton has accused the Trump admin of a "cover-up" over its handling of the Epstein files.
"Get the files out. They are slow-walking it."
On her upcoming deposition before the Oversight Committee: "We have nothing to hide … We think sunlight is the best disinfectant."
Hillary Clinton accuses Trump administration of Epstein files cover-up in BBC interview
"Get the files out. They are slow-walking it," the former US secretary of state says. The White House says it has done "more for the victims than Democrats ever did".
www.bbc.com
February 17, 2026 at 1:20 AM
Breaking:
Hillary Clinton has accused the Trump admin of a "cover-up" over its handling of the Epstein files.
"Get the files out. They are slow-walking it."
On her upcoming deposition before the Oversight Committee: "We have nothing to hide … We think sunlight is the best disinfectant."
Hillary Clinton has accused the Trump admin of a "cover-up" over its handling of the Epstein files.
"Get the files out. They are slow-walking it."
On her upcoming deposition before the Oversight Committee: "We have nothing to hide … We think sunlight is the best disinfectant."
Tunisia is getting drawn into Russia's sphere of influence according to reporting from Le Monde last year.
www.lemonde.fr/en/le-monde-...
www.lemonde.fr/en/le-monde-...
Tunisia, the target of Moscow's growing attentions
Russian aircraft landings on the island of Djerba are just one sign of Russia's multi-faceted entry strategy on Tunisian territory.
www.lemonde.fr
February 17, 2026 at 1:21 AM
Tunisia is getting drawn into Russia's sphere of influence according to reporting from Le Monde last year.
www.lemonde.fr/en/le-monde-...
www.lemonde.fr/en/le-monde-...
Reposted by Catherine Prendergast🇺🇦🪬
Ossoff: "Among today's false prophets are the election deniers who indulge this president's obsession with overturning the 2020 election. Hear me when I say this -- they tell a lie so absurd, and therefore so debasing, that the act of telling it proves the teller's total and humiliating submission."
February 16, 2026 at 5:22 PM
Ossoff: "Among today's false prophets are the election deniers who indulge this president's obsession with overturning the 2020 election. Hear me when I say this -- they tell a lie so absurd, and therefore so debasing, that the act of telling it proves the teller's total and humiliating submission."
Reposted by Catherine Prendergast🇺🇦🪬
Ireland opens probe into Musk's Grok AI over sexualised images reut.rs/4rlj3Fr
Ireland opens probe into Musk's Grok AI over sexualised images
Grok flooded X last month with AI-altered, near-nude images of real people in response to user requests, triggering widespread global outrage and investigations.
reut.rs
February 17, 2026 at 12:36 AM
Reposted by Catherine Prendergast🇺🇦🪬
I’m not pissed because I’m too stupid to get a passport.
I’m pissed because I shouldn’t have to shell out an additional $150 to exercise my right to vote.
I’m pissed because I shouldn’t have to shell out an additional $150 to exercise my right to vote.
the new Republican talking point is that it's insulting to complain about requiring women to show their birth certificate and passport in order to vote because they're smart enough to figure it out
February 17, 2026 at 12:33 AM
I’m not pissed because I’m too stupid to get a passport.
I’m pissed because I shouldn’t have to shell out an additional $150 to exercise my right to vote.
I’m pissed because I shouldn’t have to shell out an additional $150 to exercise my right to vote.
Republicans know that more Republican women change their name upon marriage and they're willing to do this anyway: www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...
Younger women, women with a postgraduate degree and Democratic women are more likely to keep their last name after marriage
www.pewresearch.org
February 17, 2026 at 12:32 AM
Republicans know that more Republican women change their name upon marriage and they're willing to do this anyway: www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/...
Reposted by Catherine Prendergast🇺🇦🪬
Reposted by Catherine Prendergast🇺🇦🪬
They KNOW what a hassle and expense it can be to attain your birth certificate.
They KNOW this is designed to suppress voters.
They KNOW that women are more likely to vote for democrats.
They KNOW this is designed to suppress voters.
They KNOW that women are more likely to vote for democrats.
February 16, 2026 at 10:24 PM
They KNOW what a hassle and expense it can be to attain your birth certificate.
They KNOW this is designed to suppress voters.
They KNOW that women are more likely to vote for democrats.
They KNOW this is designed to suppress voters.
They KNOW that women are more likely to vote for democrats.
I remain astounded at how quickly taking a spouse's name rebounded to popularity after a steep post 70s decline. It never occurred to me to change my name. My name is my name.
I will say if you want to ensure no one EVER takes a spouse's name at marriage again, this would do it in under 2 years.
It causes credit problems, social security headaches, a ton of paperwork, it disenfranchises me? No, honey, I'm keeping my name. If you don't like it, we ain't getting married.
It causes credit problems, social security headaches, a ton of paperwork, it disenfranchises me? No, honey, I'm keeping my name. If you don't like it, we ain't getting married.
the new Republican talking point is that it's insulting to complain about requiring women to show their birth certificate and passport in order to vote because they're smart enough to figure it out
February 17, 2026 at 12:26 AM
I remain astounded at how quickly taking a spouse's name rebounded to popularity after a steep post 70s decline. It never occurred to me to change my name. My name is my name.
Reposted by Catherine Prendergast🇺🇦🪬
“Scripture is full of kings brought low by their own arrogance”
February 17, 2026 at 12:14 AM
“Scripture is full of kings brought low by their own arrogance”
Reposted by Catherine Prendergast🇺🇦🪬
Yeah, so my feeling is NOPE, NO, NUH UH, NEVER
For one thing, IQ is bullshit. For another, there is a reason we DON’T want a streamlined way to identify “the most vulnerable”. Please see the United States for further details.
Lastly—who is this for?
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
For one thing, IQ is bullshit. For another, there is a reason we DON’T want a streamlined way to identify “the most vulnerable”. Please see the United States for further details.
Lastly—who is this for?
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
A new diagnosis of ‘profound autism’ is under consideration. Here’s what parents need to know
Category describes people who have little or no language, an IQ of less than 50 and require 24-hour supervision
www.theguardian.com
February 16, 2026 at 10:43 PM
Yeah, so my feeling is NOPE, NO, NUH UH, NEVER
For one thing, IQ is bullshit. For another, there is a reason we DON’T want a streamlined way to identify “the most vulnerable”. Please see the United States for further details.
Lastly—who is this for?
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...
For one thing, IQ is bullshit. For another, there is a reason we DON’T want a streamlined way to identify “the most vulnerable”. Please see the United States for further details.
Lastly—who is this for?
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...