BarbJoan
@bjgt.bsky.social
Former ESL, reading teacher, and retired elementary principal
Love art, oil painting, word puzzles, Lake Michigan, and the Cubs
Lived in Turkey, MO, MI, MN, KS, DC, and now Chicago
I used to be nice
Ally 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
Love art, oil painting, word puzzles, Lake Michigan, and the Cubs
Lived in Turkey, MO, MI, MN, KS, DC, and now Chicago
I used to be nice
Ally 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️
Reposted by BarbJoan
Mark Kelly on Hegseth: "He doesn't look out for anybody. When you see what happened with this boat strike, it's not leadership to throw your people under the bus. He turned away and ran from this as fast as he could."
December 7, 2025 at 2:41 PM
Mark Kelly on Hegseth: "He doesn't look out for anybody. When you see what happened with this boat strike, it's not leadership to throw your people under the bus. He turned away and ran from this as fast as he could."
Reposted by BarbJoan
Mark Kelly: "They are not silencing me. I'm still speaking out. I still am going to do my job every single day regardless of whether this president wants to kill me, hang me, execute me, or shut me up. I'm not gonna shut up."
December 7, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Mark Kelly: "They are not silencing me. I'm still speaking out. I still am going to do my job every single day regardless of whether this president wants to kill me, hang me, execute me, or shut me up. I'm not gonna shut up."
Reposted by BarbJoan
Pentagon Press Conference Cold Open - SNL December 6, 2025
youtu.be/WWG5YJPuGFo?...
youtu.be/WWG5YJPuGFo?...
Pentagon Press Conference Cold Open - SNL
YouTube video by Saturday Night Live
youtu.be
December 7, 2025 at 5:44 AM
Pentagon Press Conference Cold Open - SNL December 6, 2025
youtu.be/WWG5YJPuGFo?...
youtu.be/WWG5YJPuGFo?...
Reposted by BarbJoan
“The United States made this person into a child soldier, and now is experiencing what I think is one of the most horrifically bright-line cases of imperial blowback that we’ve seen throughout the 'war on terror.'"
“Imperial Blowback”: Suspect in D.C. Shooting Was Part of CIA Death Squad in Afghanistan
Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the man who authorities say shot two National Guardsmen outside the White House, had previously worked in a CIA-backed “Zero Unit” in Afghanistan, often called “death squads” by ...
www.democracynow.org
December 7, 2025 at 3:01 AM
“The United States made this person into a child soldier, and now is experiencing what I think is one of the most horrifically bright-line cases of imperial blowback that we’ve seen throughout the 'war on terror.'"
Reposted by BarbJoan
CNN Finds Israel Killed Palestinian Aid Seekers and Bulldozed Bodies into Shallow, Unmarked Graves
CNN Finds Israel Killed Palestinian Aid Seekers and Bulldozed Bodies into Shallow, Unmarked Graves
Israel’s military is continuing to pound the Gaza Strip in violation of the October 10 ceasefire agreement. Al Jazeera reports Israeli ships opened fire toward the coast of Khan Younis, while air raid...
www.democracynow.org
December 6, 2025 at 1:26 AM
CNN Finds Israel Killed Palestinian Aid Seekers and Bulldozed Bodies into Shallow, Unmarked Graves
Reposted by BarbJoan
"It's a cult of personality surrounded by a bunch of very child-like grifters," The Atlantic staff writer @radiofreetom.bsky.social says of the scandal-plagued Trump admin. "They're there to get clicks" and make "propaganda style clips," adds @bradmossesq.bsky.social. #Velshi
‘Child-like grifters’ are leading the Trump administration – and becoming a huge liability
Some top officials in the Trump administration – like FBI Director Kash Patel, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth – have recently been plagued with scandals related to their personal and/or professional conduct. Tom Nichols, writer for The Atlantic, and National Security Attorney Bradley Moss join Ali Velshi to discuss it. Nichols says there’s a “bunch of very child-like grifters” at the head of the government. “One of the things that's so striking about all these people is not just how amateurish they are, but how completely unfocused they are,” Nichols adds.
www.msnbc.com
December 6, 2025 at 6:52 PM
"It's a cult of personality surrounded by a bunch of very child-like grifters," The Atlantic staff writer @radiofreetom.bsky.social says of the scandal-plagued Trump admin. "They're there to get clicks" and make "propaganda style clips," adds @bradmossesq.bsky.social. #Velshi
Reposted by BarbJoan
Trump’s insults of female reporters prompted me to write about male MAGA insecurity in this week’s Stop the Presses newsletter.
The males of MAGA manspread their insecurity
Trump & Co. bring down the country to lift their fragile egos
www.stopthepresses.news
December 7, 2025 at 1:02 AM
Trump’s insults of female reporters prompted me to write about male MAGA insecurity in this week’s Stop the Presses newsletter.
Reposted by BarbJoan
The Supreme Court Is Failing at Its Most Important Job - NYT Editorial Board
On Monday, “the court hears a challenge to Mr. Trump’s power to fire a member of the Federal Trade Commission — an action that flew in the face of a 90-year-old Supreme Court precedent.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/06/o...
On Monday, “the court hears a challenge to Mr. Trump’s power to fire a member of the Federal Trade Commission — an action that flew in the face of a 90-year-old Supreme Court precedent.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/06/o...
Opinion | The Supreme Court Is Failing at Its Most Important Job
www.nytimes.com
December 6, 2025 at 9:12 PM
The Supreme Court Is Failing at Its Most Important Job - NYT Editorial Board
On Monday, “the court hears a challenge to Mr. Trump’s power to fire a member of the Federal Trade Commission — an action that flew in the face of a 90-year-old Supreme Court precedent.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/06/o...
On Monday, “the court hears a challenge to Mr. Trump’s power to fire a member of the Federal Trade Commission — an action that flew in the face of a 90-year-old Supreme Court precedent.”
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/06/o...
Reposted by BarbJoan
Feds gassed and tackled people in Elgin today, the same day Kristi Noem was in Chicago for a Christmas photo op, after a few weeks of relative quiet.
I'm remembering that old story about groundskeepers at Versailles who would only turn the palace fountains on when the king came by.
I'm remembering that old story about groundskeepers at Versailles who would only turn the palace fountains on when the king came by.
PHOTOS: Feds deploy tear gas in Elgin as hourslong standoff ends in man's arrest
chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...
chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...
December 7, 2025 at 12:46 AM
Feds gassed and tackled people in Elgin today, the same day Kristi Noem was in Chicago for a Christmas photo op, after a few weeks of relative quiet.
I'm remembering that old story about groundskeepers at Versailles who would only turn the palace fountains on when the king came by.
I'm remembering that old story about groundskeepers at Versailles who would only turn the palace fountains on when the king came by.
Reposted by BarbJoan
It’s truly hard to reconcile a lifetime of believing that the purpose of government in the United States is to help citizens with the hatred ICE and other federal agencies have displayed for Americans in Chicago, LA, DC and other US cities
In Elgin, ICE agents have been in a standoff with the community as they’re trying to arrest a man. Here’s an altercation between the feds and residents ending with arrest and pepper spray. Video from Sophia Peterson
December 7, 2025 at 2:30 AM
It’s truly hard to reconcile a lifetime of believing that the purpose of government in the United States is to help citizens with the hatred ICE and other federal agencies have displayed for Americans in Chicago, LA, DC and other US cities
Reposted by BarbJoan
Not sure what others think but seems ICE has escalated in the Chicago suburbs as their activity lessened in Chicago. They obviously haven’t left the city either but seems they’ve gotten even more aggressive in the suburbs.
Federal agents involved in crash while conducting enforcement in Elgin, police say
YouTube video by WGN News
youtu.be
December 7, 2025 at 1:47 AM
Not sure what others think but seems ICE has escalated in the Chicago suburbs as their activity lessened in Chicago. They obviously haven’t left the city either but seems they’ve gotten even more aggressive in the suburbs.
Reposted by BarbJoan
As the President turns to picking a new Fed Chair, I look to the economics literature to ask: What should he be looking for?
My answers: Good judgment. Independence. Communication skills. Intellectual leadership. And courage.
I hope that he's keeping these criteria in mind. #TheProfessorIsIn
My answers: Good judgment. Independence. Communication skills. Intellectual leadership. And courage.
I hope that he's keeping these criteria in mind. #TheProfessorIsIn
December 6, 2025 at 10:56 PM
As the President turns to picking a new Fed Chair, I look to the economics literature to ask: What should he be looking for?
My answers: Good judgment. Independence. Communication skills. Intellectual leadership. And courage.
I hope that he's keeping these criteria in mind. #TheProfessorIsIn
My answers: Good judgment. Independence. Communication skills. Intellectual leadership. And courage.
I hope that he's keeping these criteria in mind. #TheProfessorIsIn
Reposted by BarbJoan
I've been doing a lot of TV lately, but easily my favorite thing is "The Professor Is In," a segment in which we step back from the news cycle and teach economics. That's my true love. With news that Trump might be about to appoint a new Fed chair, we explain: What does the Fed Chair do?
December 6, 2025 at 1:51 PM
I've been doing a lot of TV lately, but easily my favorite thing is "The Professor Is In," a segment in which we step back from the news cycle and teach economics. That's my true love. With news that Trump might be about to appoint a new Fed chair, we explain: What does the Fed Chair do?
Reposted by BarbJoan
Hegseth’s own “fog of war” excuse fully contradicts this new excuse, which they have clearly just come up with to try to keep him out of the Hague
EXCLUSIVE: Pete Hegseth ordered the U.S. military on Sept. 2 to kill all 11 people on a suspected drug-smuggling boat because they were on an internal list of military targets, the commander overseeing the operation told lawmakers, according to multiple sources.
Admiral told lawmakers everyone on alleged drug boat was on a list of military targets
Adm. Frank Bradley said U.S. intelligence had identified the 11 people on the boat and determined the military was authorized to kill them as part of Trump’s campaign against alleged drug-smuggling vessels.
nbcnews.to
December 7, 2025 at 2:12 AM
Hegseth’s own “fog of war” excuse fully contradicts this new excuse, which they have clearly just come up with to try to keep him out of the Hague
Reposted by BarbJoan
Reposted by BarbJoan
EXCLUSIVE: Pete Hegseth ordered the U.S. military on Sept. 2 to kill all 11 people on a suspected drug-smuggling boat because they were on an internal list of military targets, the commander overseeing the operation told lawmakers, according to multiple sources.
Admiral told lawmakers everyone on alleged drug boat was on a list of military targets
Adm. Frank Bradley said U.S. intelligence had identified the 11 people on the boat and determined the military was authorized to kill them as part of Trump’s campaign against alleged drug-smuggling vessels.
nbcnews.to
December 7, 2025 at 1:12 AM
EXCLUSIVE: Pete Hegseth ordered the U.S. military on Sept. 2 to kill all 11 people on a suspected drug-smuggling boat because they were on an internal list of military targets, the commander overseeing the operation told lawmakers, according to multiple sources.
Reposted by BarbJoan
Everyone is focused on the “second strike” against the shipwrecked men in the Caribbean
But there were actually FOUR strikes in total
Bloodthirsty doesn’t even begin to describe the criminality of Pete Hegseth
But there were actually FOUR strikes in total
Bloodthirsty doesn’t even begin to describe the criminality of Pete Hegseth
December 6, 2025 at 11:55 PM
Everyone is focused on the “second strike” against the shipwrecked men in the Caribbean
But there were actually FOUR strikes in total
Bloodthirsty doesn’t even begin to describe the criminality of Pete Hegseth
But there were actually FOUR strikes in total
Bloodthirsty doesn’t even begin to describe the criminality of Pete Hegseth
Reposted by BarbJoan
So he did, in fact, say “kill them all”.
EXCLUSIVE: Pete Hegseth ordered the U.S. military on Sept. 2 to kill all 11 people on a suspected drug-smuggling boat because they were on an internal list of military targets, the commander overseeing the operation told lawmakers, according to multiple sources.
Admiral told lawmakers everyone on alleged drug boat was on a list of military targets
Adm. Frank Bradley said U.S. intelligence had identified the 11 people on the boat and determined the military was authorized to kill them as part of Trump’s campaign against alleged drug-smuggling vessels.
nbcnews.to
December 7, 2025 at 2:00 AM
So he did, in fact, say “kill them all”.
Reposted by BarbJoan
"It's a cult of personality surrounded by a bunch of very child-like grifters," The Atlantic staff writer @radiofreetom.bsky.social says of the scandal-plagued Trump admin. "They're there to get clicks" and make "propaganda style clips," adds @bradmossesq.bsky.social. #Velshi
‘Child-like grifters’ are leading the Trump administration – and becoming a huge liability
Some top officials in the Trump administration – like FBI Director Kash Patel, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth – have recently been plagued with scandals related to their personal and/or professional conduct. Tom Nichols, writer for The Atlantic, and National Security Attorney Bradley Moss join Ali Velshi to discuss it. Nichols says there’s a “bunch of very child-like grifters” at the head of the government. “One of the things that's so striking about all these people is not just how amateurish they are, but how completely unfocused they are,” Nichols adds.
www.msnbc.com
December 6, 2025 at 6:52 PM
"It's a cult of personality surrounded by a bunch of very child-like grifters," The Atlantic staff writer @radiofreetom.bsky.social says of the scandal-plagued Trump admin. "They're there to get clicks" and make "propaganda style clips," adds @bradmossesq.bsky.social. #Velshi
Reposted by BarbJoan
He lied. All this other verbiage is unnecessary. He lied.
“.. Federal data shows corporate investment levels are roughly in line with last year, with companies on track to invest over $5 trillion in 2025. The $20 trillion surge Mr. Trump has claimed does not appear in the available data.”
@cbsnews.com
www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-2...
@cbsnews.com
www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-2...
December 6, 2025 at 7:18 PM
He lied. All this other verbiage is unnecessary. He lied.
Reposted by BarbJoan
Thank you for confessing to your willingness to commit a federal felony.
Hegseth says he would have ordered second strike on Caribbean vessel reut.rs/3XBMtCb
Hegseth says he would have ordered second strike on Caribbean vessel
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Saturday that he backs a September 2 decision to launch a second strike on a suspected drug boat in the Caribbean.
reut.rs
December 6, 2025 at 11:20 PM
Thank you for confessing to your willingness to commit a federal felony.
Reposted by BarbJoan
His mother was right.
December 6, 2025 at 2:28 PM
His mother was right.
Reposted by BarbJoan
December 6, 2025 at 1:46 PM
Reposted by BarbJoan
NEW: The Worst Part of Pete Hegseth’s Very Bad Week
Lawmakers are finally waking up to the problems the defense secretary has created www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...
Lawmakers are finally waking up to the problems the defense secretary has created www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...
Pete Hegseth Is Seriously Testing Trump’s ‘No Scalps’ Rule
Lawmakers are finally waking up to the problems the defense secretary has created.
www.theatlantic.com
December 6, 2025 at 1:43 PM
NEW: The Worst Part of Pete Hegseth’s Very Bad Week
Lawmakers are finally waking up to the problems the defense secretary has created www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...
Lawmakers are finally waking up to the problems the defense secretary has created www.theatlantic.com/national-sec...
Reposted by BarbJoan
NEWS: On day of Kristi Noem visit to Chicago, federal immigration agents use tear gas on Elgin crowd. By Rebecca Johnson and @staceywescott.bsky.social
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/06/i...
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/06/i...
On day of Kristi Noem visit to Chicago, federal immigration agents use tear gas on Elgin crowd
Federal immigration agents deployed tear gas and pepper spray Saturday on a crowd that gathered to protest a prolonged arrest in a northwest Chicago suburb, angering neighbors who said it’s “uncall…
www.chicagotribune.com
December 7, 2025 at 12:25 AM
NEWS: On day of Kristi Noem visit to Chicago, federal immigration agents use tear gas on Elgin crowd. By Rebecca Johnson and @staceywescott.bsky.social
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/06/i...
www.chicagotribune.com/2025/12/06/i...