Ben Smith (he/him/any)
@fishetdek.bsky.social
Personal.
Gamer, reader, cat parent, partner.
When in doubt, ask Hoid.
Be honest with yourself and ask a lot of questions.
Gamer, reader, cat parent, partner.
When in doubt, ask Hoid.
Be honest with yourself and ask a lot of questions.
Pinned
The complete failure of AI generally, and this AI in this second specifically, is that it *cannot* discern credible information from uncredible. These screenshots show it quoting articles like "31 Common Household Things to Use as a Dildo".
February 10, 2026 at 10:17 PM
The complete failure of AI generally, and this AI in this second specifically, is that it *cannot* discern credible information from uncredible. These screenshots show it quoting articles like "31 Common Household Things to Use as a Dildo".
Reposted by Ben Smith (he/him/any)
Rep. Delia Ramirez to DHS officials: "I have as much respect for you as I do for the last white men who put on masks to terrorize communities of color. I have no respect for the inheritors of the Klanhood and the slave patrol. Those activities were criminal and so are yours."
February 10, 2026 at 5:11 PM
Rep. Delia Ramirez to DHS officials: "I have as much respect for you as I do for the last white men who put on masks to terrorize communities of color. I have no respect for the inheritors of the Klanhood and the slave patrol. Those activities were criminal and so are yours."
Reposted by Ben Smith (he/him/any)
The entire right wing relies on the British public not understanding:
1) Tax brackets
2) Inheritance tax
3) Inflation
And it works. Every time.
1) Tax brackets
2) Inheritance tax
3) Inflation
And it works. Every time.
February 8, 2026 at 1:37 PM
The entire right wing relies on the British public not understanding:
1) Tax brackets
2) Inheritance tax
3) Inflation
And it works. Every time.
1) Tax brackets
2) Inheritance tax
3) Inflation
And it works. Every time.
Reposted by Ben Smith (he/him/any)
Hot take, but no one should be using ChatGPT and any AI products in general.
OpenAI president Greg Brockman and his wife donated $25 million to MAGA Inc in 2025.
There's a push to boycott ChatGPT, that tool is now added to StopICEToday.com
There's a push to boycott ChatGPT, that tool is now added to StopICEToday.com
I gathered a few resources you can use & take action with to protect your communities from ICE:
stopicetoday.com
stopicetoday.com
February 4, 2026 at 6:33 PM
Hot take, but no one should be using ChatGPT and any AI products in general.
Reposted by Ben Smith (he/him/any)
ICE told nurses this Minneapolis man “purposefully ran headfirst into a brick wall.”
What actually happened is that they pulled him from a car, beat him so viciously with a steel baton that he had 8 skull fractures, 5 life-threatening brain hemorrhages, and couldn’t remember he had a daughter.
What actually happened is that they pulled him from a car, beat him so viciously with a steel baton that he had 8 skull fractures, 5 life-threatening brain hemorrhages, and couldn’t remember he had a daughter.
February 7, 2026 at 5:54 PM
ICE told nurses this Minneapolis man “purposefully ran headfirst into a brick wall.”
What actually happened is that they pulled him from a car, beat him so viciously with a steel baton that he had 8 skull fractures, 5 life-threatening brain hemorrhages, and couldn’t remember he had a daughter.
What actually happened is that they pulled him from a car, beat him so viciously with a steel baton that he had 8 skull fractures, 5 life-threatening brain hemorrhages, and couldn’t remember he had a daughter.
Reposted by Ben Smith (he/him/any)
Understanding society is dangerous to reactionaries selling racial animus & crushing austerity, while enriching the rich
I do want to shout-out my fellow sociologists, who have collectively created a discipline so woke that not a single one of our introductory textbooks can make it past Florida's censors.
Great work everyone.
Great work everyone.
February 7, 2026 at 4:59 PM
Understanding society is dangerous to reactionaries selling racial animus & crushing austerity, while enriching the rich
Sometimes they're just too cute. #ProofofCat #Caturday
February 7, 2026 at 6:19 PM
Sometimes they're just too cute. #ProofofCat #Caturday
Reposted by Ben Smith (he/him/any)
I am not going to repost the vile and racist image that Trump posted last night of President & First Lady Obama because it is beyond disgusting. Trump is a vile racist as is every Republican that continues to support him. I don’t want to hear mumbling from Mike Johnson or stoic silence from Thune.
February 6, 2026 at 2:54 PM
I am not going to repost the vile and racist image that Trump posted last night of President & First Lady Obama because it is beyond disgusting. Trump is a vile racist as is every Republican that continues to support him. I don’t want to hear mumbling from Mike Johnson or stoic silence from Thune.
Reposted by Ben Smith (he/him/any)
I wrote about the Epstein files (gift link) www.theverge.com/tech/874721/...
How the men in the Epstein files defeated #MeToo
The emails show the “anti-woke” crusaders are afraid of accountability.
www.theverge.com
February 6, 2026 at 3:09 PM
I wrote about the Epstein files (gift link) www.theverge.com/tech/874721/...
Reposted by Ben Smith (he/him/any)
Pour one out for every professional political pundit, writer, consultant whatever that has spent the last decade trying to pretend that the Trump phenomenon was about trade or opiates and not a big chunk of white america losing its mind over having a black president bsky.app/profile/kyle...
A screenshot from a video posted on Trump's Truth Social account: truthsocial.com/@realDonaldT...
February 6, 2026 at 9:28 AM
Pour one out for every professional political pundit, writer, consultant whatever that has spent the last decade trying to pretend that the Trump phenomenon was about trade or opiates and not a big chunk of white america losing its mind over having a black president bsky.app/profile/kyle...
Reposted by Ben Smith (he/him/any)
Bussi invited everyone he knows to MSG and he's mostly just watching the game like all of them
February 6, 2026 at 1:43 AM
Bussi invited everyone he knows to MSG and he's mostly just watching the game like all of them
Reposted by Ben Smith (he/him/any)
Do they all get deported now? Is that how this works?
February 5, 2026 at 5:48 PM
Do they all get deported now? Is that how this works?
Reposted by Ben Smith (he/him/any)
Looks like @attackerman.bsky.social had a similar response to the one I did... bsky.app/profile/atta...
@wyden.senate.gov's record of warning that there is deep and constitutionally-serious dirt being done by the intelligence agencies in secret is unblemished. The vaguer he is, the filthier the dirt is. This is the vaguest I've ever seen him
Ron Wyden Only Talks Like This When The Spies Do Something *Real* Bad
No, I don't know what they did. But I have a lot of experience with the senator
www.forever-wars.com
February 5, 2026 at 6:26 PM
Looks like @attackerman.bsky.social had a similar response to the one I did... bsky.app/profile/atta...
Reposted by Ben Smith (he/him/any)
lol this is the most ominous letter I've ever seen in my life.
February 4, 2026 at 8:20 PM
lol this is the most ominous letter I've ever seen in my life.
Reposted by Ben Smith (he/him/any)
they don't have enough guys, and if the response in Minnesota shows anything it is that trying something like this is going to drive a much larger backlash than anything they hope to gain out of it
"oh well I guess we'll just stay home" is not how this is going to go
"oh well I guess we'll just stay home" is not how this is going to go
🚨BREAKING: Steve Bannon said Tuesday that the federal government is planning to send Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to patrol polling stations during this year’s midterm elections. www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/...
Steve Bannon says ICE will ‘surround the polls’ as Trump doubles down on taking over elections
Trump doubled down on his comments to nationalize voting Tuesday during an Oval Office press conference. “If you think about it, a state is an agent for the federal government in elections,” Trump sai...
www.democracydocket.com
February 4, 2026 at 5:49 PM
they don't have enough guys, and if the response in Minnesota shows anything it is that trying something like this is going to drive a much larger backlash than anything they hope to gain out of it
"oh well I guess we'll just stay home" is not how this is going to go
"oh well I guess we'll just stay home" is not how this is going to go
Reposted by Ben Smith (he/him/any)
You may not have heard, but it’s important. Dems are holding shadow hearings on ICE crimes. Witnesses provided harrowing and explosive accounts yesterday. I provide some highlights from the day, and I urge everyone to watch and amplify them. Link in the replies.
February 4, 2026 at 6:11 PM
You may not have heard, but it’s important. Dems are holding shadow hearings on ICE crimes. Witnesses provided harrowing and explosive accounts yesterday. I provide some highlights from the day, and I urge everyone to watch and amplify them. Link in the replies.
Reposted by Ben Smith (he/him/any)
The world of journalism would be in an infinitely better place if MacKenzie Scott had got the Washington Post in the divorce.
February 4, 2026 at 3:01 PM
The world of journalism would be in an infinitely better place if MacKenzie Scott had got the Washington Post in the divorce.
So I'm thinking this Bussi guy is pretty good.
February 4, 2026 at 1:25 AM
So I'm thinking this Bussi guy is pretty good.
I really enjoy that both the Carolina Hurricanes and Chicago Blackhawks commentary crews have goalies on them - I feel like listening to Tripp and Pang has really helped me appreciate goalies and exactly what crazy shit they're doing to keep pucks out.
February 4, 2026 at 12:32 AM
I really enjoy that both the Carolina Hurricanes and Chicago Blackhawks commentary crews have goalies on them - I feel like listening to Tripp and Pang has really helped me appreciate goalies and exactly what crazy shit they're doing to keep pucks out.
Reposted by Ben Smith (he/him/any)
Fixed this! Trump’s chaotic tariff “plan” is clear: there is no plan. He’s happy to upend global markets depending on whoever compliments him the most. The economy cannot depend on one man’s ego.
February 3, 2026 at 7:19 PM
Fixed this! Trump’s chaotic tariff “plan” is clear: there is no plan. He’s happy to upend global markets depending on whoever compliments him the most. The economy cannot depend on one man’s ego.
Reposted by Ben Smith (he/him/any)
🚨BREAKING: Federal Court DISMISSES Republican lawsuit challenging the U.S. Census Bureau’s statistical methods used for the 2020 Census. A big victory for my law firm's clients and everyone who cares about an accurate Census! www.democracydocket.com/cases/florid...
🚨University of South Florida College Republicans et al v. Lutnick et al
Learn more here.
www.democracydocket.com
February 3, 2026 at 5:55 PM
🚨BREAKING: Federal Court DISMISSES Republican lawsuit challenging the U.S. Census Bureau’s statistical methods used for the 2020 Census. A big victory for my law firm's clients and everyone who cares about an accurate Census! www.democracydocket.com/cases/florid...
Reposted by Ben Smith (he/him/any)
If you've ever enjoyed anything I've ever done creatively, CHECK THIS OUT!!!
Fake Baseball is my weird little passion project that I am completely obsessed with, and I've put together a short & comprehensive crash course on why you should watch.
youtu.be/m4dOEc8YF7Y
Fake Baseball is my weird little passion project that I am completely obsessed with, and I've put together a short & comprehensive crash course on why you should watch.
youtu.be/m4dOEc8YF7Y
February 3, 2026 at 6:27 PM
If you've ever enjoyed anything I've ever done creatively, CHECK THIS OUT!!!
Fake Baseball is my weird little passion project that I am completely obsessed with, and I've put together a short & comprehensive crash course on why you should watch.
youtu.be/m4dOEc8YF7Y
Fake Baseball is my weird little passion project that I am completely obsessed with, and I've put together a short & comprehensive crash course on why you should watch.
youtu.be/m4dOEc8YF7Y
Reposted by Ben Smith (he/him/any)
Republicans: We believe in free market capitalism
The Market: Cool. We can make money selling gender affirming shapewear.
Republicans: NO. NOT LIKE THAT!
The Market: Cool. We can make money selling gender affirming shapewear.
Republicans: NO. NOT LIKE THAT!
The FDA is targeting companies that sell gender-affirming shapewear.
FDA Targets Gender-Affirming Garments, Warning Companies that Serve Trans Customers
At least 12 companies received letters from the agency stating that the gender-affirming compression garments are medical devices and require compliance with strict federal regulations.
rewirenewsgroup.com
February 3, 2026 at 6:13 PM
Republicans: We believe in free market capitalism
The Market: Cool. We can make money selling gender affirming shapewear.
Republicans: NO. NOT LIKE THAT!
The Market: Cool. We can make money selling gender affirming shapewear.
Republicans: NO. NOT LIKE THAT!
Reposted by Ben Smith (he/him/any)
The Blackhawks' league-leading penalty kill is running at a 92.3-percent rate since Jan. 1. That's 36-for-39.
February 3, 2026 at 3:30 AM
The Blackhawks' league-leading penalty kill is running at a 92.3-percent rate since Jan. 1. That's 36-for-39.
Reposted by Ben Smith (he/him/any)
Note the shift after Kilmar Abrego Garcia was deported
February 2, 2026 at 4:35 AM
Note the shift after Kilmar Abrego Garcia was deported