EM Simpson
@emsetc.bsky.social
I am not a committee. Defense, pop-culture, Jayhawk propaganda. All opinions my own.
Co-host of Sirens: A Bombshell Production https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sirens-a-bombshell-production/id1195698408
Co-host of Sirens: A Bombshell Production https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sirens-a-bombshell-production/id1195698408
Reposted by EM Simpson
(And remember: the only thing you rinse your eyes with, ever, is clean water and lots of it. Not milk. Not pepto. No, not that thing your cousin swore magically takes care of tear gas. Water. H2O. Accept no substitutes.)
January 15, 2026 at 3:15 AM
(And remember: the only thing you rinse your eyes with, ever, is clean water and lots of it. Not milk. Not pepto. No, not that thing your cousin swore magically takes care of tear gas. Water. H2O. Accept no substitutes.)
Reposted by EM Simpson
A young protester narrowly avoided being killed but was left permanently blind after a DHS agent fired a nonlethal round at close range during a Santa Ana protest last week, according to family of the victim. www.latimes.com/california/s...
Anti-ICE protester blinded by federal agent during demonstration in Santa Ana, family says
A young protester narrowly avoided being killed but was left permanently blind in one eye after a Department of Homeland Security agent fired a nonlethal round at close range during a Santa Ana protes...
www.latimes.com
January 14, 2026 at 2:48 AM
A young protester narrowly avoided being killed but was left permanently blind after a DHS agent fired a nonlethal round at close range during a Santa Ana protest last week, according to family of the victim. www.latimes.com/california/s...
My kingdom for a women’s field watch under 36mm…
January 13, 2026 at 10:27 PM
My kingdom for a women’s field watch under 36mm…
Holy shit
Wild reporting from Bloomberg. Jeanine Pirro apparently freelanced the subpoenas and criminal investigation of Jerome Powell.
January 13, 2026 at 3:22 AM
Holy shit
Reposted by EM Simpson
Check in on your MN friends. Ask how they're doing. If they say:
"Pretty good, you?" They're probably ok.
"Just fine, howryou?" They're struggling, exhausted, hanging on but close to the edge.
"Oh, doin ok" Send help. The situation is desperate.
"Pretty good, you?" They're probably ok.
"Just fine, howryou?" They're struggling, exhausted, hanging on but close to the edge.
"Oh, doin ok" Send help. The situation is desperate.
January 13, 2026 at 1:18 AM
Check in on your MN friends. Ask how they're doing. If they say:
"Pretty good, you?" They're probably ok.
"Just fine, howryou?" They're struggling, exhausted, hanging on but close to the edge.
"Oh, doin ok" Send help. The situation is desperate.
"Pretty good, you?" They're probably ok.
"Just fine, howryou?" They're struggling, exhausted, hanging on but close to the edge.
"Oh, doin ok" Send help. The situation is desperate.
Reposted by EM Simpson
An eternal theme in American politics is women trying to warn the public about predatory, abusive men, and the media (then public) condemning them for it even as subsequent events prove them right.
Kamala Harris at her closing campaign rally:
"Donald Trump intends to use the United States Military against American citizens who simply disagree with him."
"Donald Trump intends to use the United States Military against American citizens who simply disagree with him."
January 12, 2026 at 1:22 PM
An eternal theme in American politics is women trying to warn the public about predatory, abusive men, and the media (then public) condemning them for it even as subsequent events prove them right.
Reposted by EM Simpson
This is going to force a lot of investors and powerful finance people to reckon with Trump in a way they have been desperately trying to avoid.
January 12, 2026 at 12:41 AM
This is going to force a lot of investors and powerful finance people to reckon with Trump in a way they have been desperately trying to avoid.
Reposted by EM Simpson
If a new president unilaterally does a huge DHS reduction in force in Jan 2029, none will collect & it will create a lot of budget capacity for better uses.
I just found out last night that the $50k enrollment bonus only pays out after 5 years of service, and reader, the laugh I let out when I read that woke the dog from across the house. These absolute fucking grapes aren't seeing a dime of that money. No way they can ride out 5 years of this job.
ICE recruitment is going well.
January 11, 2026 at 10:06 PM
If a new president unilaterally does a huge DHS reduction in force in Jan 2029, none will collect & it will create a lot of budget capacity for better uses.
Reposted by EM Simpson
NORMIE MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN, OUR TIME HAS COME
Separate from the obvious misogyny of the last few days, it’s been striking to watch the right wing media apparatus really confront the role of normie middle-aged women as a leading and increasingly radical force of opposition to trump
Ladies you “Zumba-ed” too hard!
January 11, 2026 at 9:57 PM
NORMIE MIDDLE-AGED WOMEN, OUR TIME HAS COME
Reposted by EM Simpson
I was 14 when the Berlin Wall fell. It remains <the> formative event in my lifetime for how I understand politics & IR. This is a fantastic piece. What Adam writes about domestic politics is also true in IR. 🇺🇸’s problems are solved problems, unlike 🇪🇺 or 🇨🇳. Things are awful now, & yet there is hope.
January 11, 2026 at 7:13 PM
I was 14 when the Berlin Wall fell. It remains <the> formative event in my lifetime for how I understand politics & IR. This is a fantastic piece. What Adam writes about domestic politics is also true in IR. 🇺🇸’s problems are solved problems, unlike 🇪🇺 or 🇨🇳. Things are awful now, & yet there is hope.
Listening to Fleetwood Mac’s The Dance on this flight so I can hear Stevie serve Silver Springs to Lindsay.
PS Check out @samsanders.bsky.social on the One Song podcast breaking down “Dreams.” I loved it! www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHbK...
PS Check out @samsanders.bsky.social on the One Song podcast breaking down “Dreams.” I loved it! www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHbK...
Fleetwood Mac "Dreams" | One Song Podcast - Full Episode
YouTube video by One Song Podcast
www.youtube.com
January 10, 2026 at 5:23 PM
Listening to Fleetwood Mac’s The Dance on this flight so I can hear Stevie serve Silver Springs to Lindsay.
PS Check out @samsanders.bsky.social on the One Song podcast breaking down “Dreams.” I loved it! www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHbK...
PS Check out @samsanders.bsky.social on the One Song podcast breaking down “Dreams.” I loved it! www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHbK...
Reposted by EM Simpson
if you're surprised to learn that the Winter Olympics are just a month away, don't worry, you're not alone, the people building all the venues in Italy also appear to be surprised the Olympics are just a month away
January 10, 2026 at 3:42 PM
if you're surprised to learn that the Winter Olympics are just a month away, don't worry, you're not alone, the people building all the venues in Italy also appear to be surprised the Olympics are just a month away
Reposted by EM Simpson
If you had predicted with precise accuracy any of our current top stories this week during the ‘24 election, it would have been dismissed as Trump Derangement Syndrome by most of the professional takesmiths.
January 10, 2026 at 3:43 PM
If you had predicted with precise accuracy any of our current top stories this week during the ‘24 election, it would have been dismissed as Trump Derangement Syndrome by most of the professional takesmiths.
Reposted by EM Simpson
WSJ investigation: In the past 6 months ICE agents have fired at vehicles 13 times, leading to:
* 8 people shot
* 5 of which were U.S. citizens
* 2 died
* no victims drew a weapon
The playbook: Agents box in a vehicle, block attempts to flee, then fire
www.wsj.com/us-news/vide...
* 8 people shot
* 5 of which were U.S. citizens
* 2 died
* no victims drew a weapon
The playbook: Agents box in a vehicle, block attempts to flee, then fire
www.wsj.com/us-news/vide...
Videos Show How ICE Vehicle Stops Can Escalate to Shootings
A WSJ visual investigation found that the Minneapolis ICE killing is one of 13 incidents where federal immigration agents have used deadly force against civilians in vehicles since July.
www.wsj.com
January 10, 2026 at 3:44 PM
WSJ investigation: In the past 6 months ICE agents have fired at vehicles 13 times, leading to:
* 8 people shot
* 5 of which were U.S. citizens
* 2 died
* no victims drew a weapon
The playbook: Agents box in a vehicle, block attempts to flee, then fire
www.wsj.com/us-news/vide...
* 8 people shot
* 5 of which were U.S. citizens
* 2 died
* no victims drew a weapon
The playbook: Agents box in a vehicle, block attempts to flee, then fire
www.wsj.com/us-news/vide...
Reposted by EM Simpson
Remembering today that having your heart broken is a necessary step on the path to becoming fully human. Whichever heartbreak is your first, it’s probably critical that a state break your heart so that you can develop a political imagination. If this is your first, I’m sorry and also welcome.
January 8, 2026 at 10:33 PM
Remembering today that having your heart broken is a necessary step on the path to becoming fully human. Whichever heartbreak is your first, it’s probably critical that a state break your heart so that you can develop a political imagination. If this is your first, I’m sorry and also welcome.
Reposted by EM Simpson
We’re going to need DDR and a future government that knows it will need expert help from transitional justice specialists
January 7, 2026 at 9:06 PM
We’re going to need DDR and a future government that knows it will need expert help from transitional justice specialists
Reposted by EM Simpson
You can almost hear the difference
January 6, 2026 at 7:01 PM
You can almost hear the difference
The Energy Secretary 😂
The number of ways this is unconstitutional lunacy
is…a lot
is…a lot
January 7, 2026 at 2:59 AM
The Energy Secretary 😂
Reposted by EM Simpson
Interesting
BREAKING: An American military operation in Venezuela killed 32 Cuban officers over the weekend, the Cuban government said in the first official acknowledgement of the deaths.
Cuba says 32 Cuban officers were killed in US action in Venezuela
An American military operation in Venezuela killed 32 Cuban officers over the weekend, the Cuban government said Sunday in the first official acknowledgement of the deaths.
bit.ly
January 5, 2026 at 3:44 AM
Interesting
Reposted by EM Simpson
This poem by Gwendolyn Brooks continues to be an anchor on hard days.
January 4, 2026 at 10:30 PM
This poem by Gwendolyn Brooks continues to be an anchor on hard days.
I have over 13,000 steps today...and I haven't left my house.
I have unpacked, broken down, and recycled a dozen boxes. Moved furniture. Swept and vacuumed every room. And made some yummy chili.
I have unpacked, broken down, and recycled a dozen boxes. Moved furniture. Swept and vacuumed every room. And made some yummy chili.
January 4, 2026 at 11:02 PM
I have over 13,000 steps today...and I haven't left my house.
I have unpacked, broken down, and recycled a dozen boxes. Moved furniture. Swept and vacuumed every room. And made some yummy chili.
I have unpacked, broken down, and recycled a dozen boxes. Moved furniture. Swept and vacuumed every room. And made some yummy chili.
Reposted by EM Simpson
This is part of a broader thing I’ve come around to: being more vocal with your moral disapproval of Trump supporters, right wing media operatives, government policy officials, and people who revel in trolling. Good people don’t do those things and we should be more comfortable saying so.
January 4, 2026 at 12:39 PM
This is part of a broader thing I’ve come around to: being more vocal with your moral disapproval of Trump supporters, right wing media operatives, government policy officials, and people who revel in trolling. Good people don’t do those things and we should be more comfortable saying so.
The Miami Herald is going to be NYT (and WaPo) every time on Venezuela (and LatAM more generally). Good time to update our reading habits.
No mention of the Qatar intermediary role reported by Miami Herald in this NYT story on Trump/Rodriguez
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/04/w...
www.nytimes.com/2026/01/04/w...
How Trump Fixed On a Maduro Loyalist as Venezuela’s New Leader
www.nytimes.com
January 4, 2026 at 2:36 PM
The Miami Herald is going to be NYT (and WaPo) every time on Venezuela (and LatAM more generally). Good time to update our reading habits.
Love a Qatari (!) backchannel
So if this is accurate reporting (originally from October) then it makes the current talk of investment and “transition” governments much clearer. It seems Maduro was exploring possible negotiated settlements but Rubio drew a hard line at his remaining in power.
www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-...
www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-...
Exclusive: Venezuelan leaders offered U.S. a path to stay in power without Maduro
Delcy and Jorge Rodríguez used Doha backchannels to offer Washington a 'Cartel Light' plan for a managed Venezuela transition that keeps chavismo in power.
www.miamiherald.com
January 4, 2026 at 1:41 PM
Love a Qatari (!) backchannel
jesus, not now
UK-French air strike targets IS arms dump in Syria
UK-French air strike targets IS arms dump in Syria
RAF Typhoon jets joined French aircraft in a strike on an underground Islamic State arms cache in Syria, UK officials say.
www.bbc.com
January 4, 2026 at 3:15 AM
jesus, not now