Dave Weigel
@daveweigel.bsky.social
National politics reporter at semafor.com. Alum: WashPost, Bloomberg, Slate, Reason. Author of “The Show That Never Ends.”
Reposted by Dave Weigel
So does every generation of writers eventually feel like their job is just reminding people of things everyone used to just know
January 16, 2026 at 3:59 PM
So does every generation of writers eventually feel like their job is just reminding people of things everyone used to just know
Reposted by Dave Weigel
I can... just about... understand this kind of attitude from some of the people I'm likely to interact with -- financially precarious writers, artists, etc who rely on an audience to live.
But they are often the very people (like Sara) who did this *years* ago.
But they are often the very people (like Sara) who did this *years* ago.
Just blocked this mutual. “Now that it may in some way benefit me, I’m going to do the thing that was the right thing like, 3 years ago. Cookie please.”
January 16, 2026 at 3:50 PM
I can... just about... understand this kind of attitude from some of the people I'm likely to interact with -- financially precarious writers, artists, etc who rely on an audience to live.
But they are often the very people (like Sara) who did this *years* ago.
But they are often the very people (like Sara) who did this *years* ago.
Reposted by Dave Weigel
“BAD ADVICE.” Republicans are embracing a method to criticize Trump’s actions without calling him out
Blame advisers.
Threaten Greenland? Just “bad advice.”
Tariffs? “It’s not the president,” it’s Navarro.
Investigating Powell, credit card rates… List is long.
www.nbcnews.com/politics/don...
Blame advisers.
Threaten Greenland? Just “bad advice.”
Tariffs? “It’s not the president,” it’s Navarro.
Investigating Powell, credit card rates… List is long.
www.nbcnews.com/politics/don...
'Bad advice': Republicans criticize Trump's policies without going directly at him
Republicans frequently say those around Trump are giving him "bad advice" as a way to disagree with his policies while avoiding blaming him.
www.nbcnews.com
January 16, 2026 at 1:55 PM
“BAD ADVICE.” Republicans are embracing a method to criticize Trump’s actions without calling him out
Blame advisers.
Threaten Greenland? Just “bad advice.”
Tariffs? “It’s not the president,” it’s Navarro.
Investigating Powell, credit card rates… List is long.
www.nbcnews.com/politics/don...
Blame advisers.
Threaten Greenland? Just “bad advice.”
Tariffs? “It’s not the president,” it’s Navarro.
Investigating Powell, credit card rates… List is long.
www.nbcnews.com/politics/don...
Reposted by Dave Weigel
A smart thing the studio bosses of Golden Age Hollywood would do is, if a movie was making money in theaters, they would have a day picked out at which they would arbitrarily have it stop making money in theaters.
“I want to win opening weekend. I want to win box office.” - Ted Sarandos 2026 www.vulture.com/article/ted-...
Ted Sarandos Says He Wants Movies in Theaters, Actually
“With 45-day windows,” the Netflix CEO said.
www.vulture.com
January 16, 2026 at 4:00 PM
A smart thing the studio bosses of Golden Age Hollywood would do is, if a movie was making money in theaters, they would have a day picked out at which they would arbitrarily have it stop making money in theaters.
Reposted by Dave Weigel
A bunch of local journalists and news outlets - generally VASTLY more reliable than national, billionaire-owned news outlets during this age of rising fascism! go.bsky.app/FzSc9z
Local US Journalists / Outlets / News Sources
Join the conversation
go.bsky.app
January 16, 2026 at 3:54 PM
A bunch of local journalists and news outlets - generally VASTLY more reliable than national, billionaire-owned news outlets during this age of rising fascism! go.bsky.app/FzSc9z
One book I always recommend, but doubly recommend now, is Daniel Immerwahr's "How to Hide an Empire." www.amazon.com/How-Hide-Emp...
January 16, 2026 at 3:17 PM
One book I always recommend, but doubly recommend now, is Daniel Immerwahr's "How to Hide an Empire." www.amazon.com/How-Hide-Emp...
Small peeve: Punditry (or GOP boosterism) that pretends Greenland would be the 51st state.
Of course it wouldn't. We bought the Virgin Islands from Denmark a century ago. More than 2x the population of Greenland. It's a territory, and its citizens don't have voting DC reps. Neither would Greenland.
Of course it wouldn't. We bought the Virgin Islands from Denmark a century ago. More than 2x the population of Greenland. It's a territory, and its citizens don't have voting DC reps. Neither would Greenland.
January 16, 2026 at 3:12 PM
Small peeve: Punditry (or GOP boosterism) that pretends Greenland would be the 51st state.
Of course it wouldn't. We bought the Virgin Islands from Denmark a century ago. More than 2x the population of Greenland. It's a territory, and its citizens don't have voting DC reps. Neither would Greenland.
Of course it wouldn't. We bought the Virgin Islands from Denmark a century ago. More than 2x the population of Greenland. It's a territory, and its citizens don't have voting DC reps. Neither would Greenland.
Reposted by Dave Weigel
remember in 2026 every day can be Whiskey Friday, with or without Tony Dokoupil.
January 16, 2026 at 2:35 PM
remember in 2026 every day can be Whiskey Friday, with or without Tony Dokoupil.
Reposted by Dave Weigel
This is no longer about ethics in video game reviewing.
January 16, 2026 at 2:28 PM
This is no longer about ethics in video game reviewing.
Reposted by Dave Weigel
One of the Great Texts in this discourse is Bernie Sanders's 2015 interview w Ezra Klein. Klein gives the globally minded progressive view that the US should be sharing its wealth with more migrants. Sanders says no, a nation has to increase quality of life for citizens. www.vox.com/2015/7/28/90...
January 16, 2026 at 1:55 PM
One of the Great Texts in this discourse is Bernie Sanders's 2015 interview w Ezra Klein. Klein gives the globally minded progressive view that the US should be sharing its wealth with more migrants. Sanders says no, a nation has to increase quality of life for citizens. www.vox.com/2015/7/28/90...
"Greg Abbott is a political genius" is an important insight on the way to full enlightenment. He personally transformed Eric Adams from a "we welcome all migrants to NYC" guy to a Camp of the Saints guy
slate.com/news-and-pol...
slate.com/news-and-pol...
January 16, 2026 at 1:49 PM
"Greg Abbott is a political genius" is an important insight on the way to full enlightenment. He personally transformed Eric Adams from a "we welcome all migrants to NYC" guy to a Camp of the Saints guy
slate.com/news-and-pol...
slate.com/news-and-pol...
Reposted by Dave Weigel
the book of boba fett, stomping on your face forever
Dave Filoni and Lywen Brennan are officially the new leaders of Lucasfilm
• Dave Filoni will oversee all creative development
• Lywen Brennan will oversee executive duties
• Dave Filoni will oversee all creative development
• Lywen Brennan will oversee executive duties
January 15, 2026 at 10:46 PM
the book of boba fett, stomping on your face forever
Bumpin' that youtu.be/iScaopDkjvc?...
Surgical Focus
YouTube video by Guided by Voices - Topic
youtu.be
January 15, 2026 at 10:46 PM
Bumpin' that youtu.be/iScaopDkjvc?...
Reposted by Dave Weigel
This such a great piece. It tells you so much about how much the information environment we live in is the result of a conscious political project, not just something that technology — much less public sentiment — made happen.
New: how right-wing influencers are trying to change and set the narrative in Minneapolis, and data that shows how effective (or not) they are: www.vox.com/politics/475...
How right-wing influencers are bending reality in Minneapolis
The MAGA media system is going into overdrive.
www.vox.com
January 15, 2026 at 9:43 PM
This such a great piece. It tells you so much about how much the information environment we live in is the result of a conscious political project, not just something that technology — much less public sentiment — made happen.
Reposted by Dave Weigel
Every time you tweet in anger about some centrist memo "warning" Dems not to talk about "Abolish ICE," you're just persuading reporters that the memo is newsworthy and getting the memo's authors the media attention they originally set out to get, thus rewarding them for baiting you.
January 15, 2026 at 7:19 PM
Every time you tweet in anger about some centrist memo "warning" Dems not to talk about "Abolish ICE," you're just persuading reporters that the memo is newsworthy and getting the memo's authors the media attention they originally set out to get, thus rewarding them for baiting you.
This is where I'm at. It's mostly frustrating that so many people don't want/know how to verify what they read. I am always seeing non-MSM media, first-person accounts etc, that contain real info.
My big beef is with "NEWS: Video has RESURFACED" content that doesn't say where, when, who, etc.
My big beef is with "NEWS: Video has RESURFACED" content that doesn't say where, when, who, etc.
The era of the neutral press was pretty short-lived -- we're in something closer to the era of William Randolph Hearst, but both the ultra rich and those with social media followings can shape the news environment.
January 15, 2026 at 6:57 PM
This is where I'm at. It's mostly frustrating that so many people don't want/know how to verify what they read. I am always seeing non-MSM media, first-person accounts etc, that contain real info.
My big beef is with "NEWS: Video has RESURFACED" content that doesn't say where, when, who, etc.
My big beef is with "NEWS: Video has RESURFACED" content that doesn't say where, when, who, etc.
Reposted by Dave Weigel
At lunch yesterday, student at the picnic table next to mine were working on a problem set. They had ChatGPT opened and were copying answers from it. It made me think about how I need to change the way I teach because I’m not convinced this is the way to learn anything.
January 15, 2026 at 6:33 PM
At lunch yesterday, student at the picnic table next to mine were working on a problem set. They had ChatGPT opened and were copying answers from it. It made me think about how I need to change the way I teach because I’m not convinced this is the way to learn anything.
Reposted by Dave Weigel
cynicism is basically orthogonal to accurate knowledge, in part because it's such a tempting shortcut around actually learning anything
meta-discursive comment: the incentives of social media where making an incorrect naive prediction is seen as much more embarrassing than making an incorrect cynical one are very bad.
January 15, 2026 at 6:26 PM
cynicism is basically orthogonal to accurate knowledge, in part because it's such a tempting shortcut around actually learning anything
My position, not preference: The "the press" matters less every day. People are scrolling news on X, TikTok, etc, and seeing influencers who package the news (or fake stuff) with their slants. The WH boosts what it wants; there is a cash reward (creator payouts) for X influencers who get boosted.
The press is so useless JFC
Yeah, I think a lot about the choice the Trump admin has made to send film crews after everybody to show they're Doing Something.
Biden's DOJ (and Ellison's AG office) were rolling up fraudsters with convictions. But they didn't send influencers to advertise it. Cut to Rs saying Trump finally ACTED
Biden's DOJ (and Ellison's AG office) were rolling up fraudsters with convictions. But they didn't send influencers to advertise it. Cut to Rs saying Trump finally ACTED
January 15, 2026 at 6:15 PM
My position, not preference: The "the press" matters less every day. People are scrolling news on X, TikTok, etc, and seeing influencers who package the news (or fake stuff) with their slants. The WH boosts what it wants; there is a cash reward (creator payouts) for X influencers who get boosted.
Reposted by Dave Weigel
Of note: The judge in this case, Carl J. Nichols, was appointed to the federal bench by Donald Trump in 2019.
NEW: A federal judge has lifted Trump’s stop-work order for New York’s Empire Wind project, allowing construction to continue and dealing yet another legal blow to the president’s war on offshore wind
@jael.bsky.social reports:
heatmap.news/sparks/new-y...
@jael.bsky.social reports:
heatmap.news/sparks/new-y...
New York’s Empire Wind Project May Resume Construction, Judge Says
The decision marks the Trump administration’s second offshore wind defeat this week.
heatmap.news
January 15, 2026 at 5:43 PM
Of note: The judge in this case, Carl J. Nichols, was appointed to the federal bench by Donald Trump in 2019.
Reposted by Dave Weigel
Maybe the best thing on the internet still? Certainly the most essential counter we have to our current shitstream of social media-driven misinformation.
Wikipedia is 25 today.
January 15, 2026 at 5:34 PM
Maybe the best thing on the internet still? Certainly the most essential counter we have to our current shitstream of social media-driven misinformation.
Reposted by Dave Weigel
For better or worse, public law schools have to account for state politics when making decisions about who to hire as their next dean.
But hiring someone and *then* rescinding the offer is something else altogether, and ought to be a huge black eye for the University of Arkansas.
But hiring someone and *then* rescinding the offer is something else altogether, and ought to be a huge black eye for the University of Arkansas.
The University of Arkansas's law school just withdrew the appointment of its new dean six days after hiring her because conservative politicians complained that she filed an amicus brief to the Supreme Court in support of transgender students
Culture warriors cancel new U of A law dean before she started - Arkansas Times
Culture warriors claim the scalp of Emily Suski, the would-be law school dean whose legal opinion on transgender athletes seems to have offended Arkansas officials.
arktimes.com
January 15, 2026 at 5:07 PM
For better or worse, public law schools have to account for state politics when making decisions about who to hire as their next dean.
But hiring someone and *then* rescinding the offer is something else altogether, and ought to be a huge black eye for the University of Arkansas.
But hiring someone and *then* rescinding the offer is something else altogether, and ought to be a huge black eye for the University of Arkansas.
Reposted by Dave Weigel
Kevin is right -- holy hell! -- but among many other things, this obit demonstrates the possible price of resistance.
Holy hell, what an obituary
Renfrew Christie Dies at 76; Sabotaged Racist Regime’s Nuclear Program
www.nytimes.com
January 15, 2026 at 5:28 PM
Kevin is right -- holy hell! -- but among many other things, this obit demonstrates the possible price of resistance.