James Ball
@jamesrball.com
48K followers 1.1K following 6K posts
Tech, policy, politics. Political editor @ The New World, Fellow @ Demos, newsletter @ techtris, PhD researcher @ UCL Laws. Latest book: The Other Pandemic – How QAnon Contaminated The World. 🏳️‍🌈 https://www.jamesrball.com/
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Reposted by James Ball
jayshams.bsky.social
I've been wondering why Dominion Voting Systems suddenly reached settlements with Rudy Giuliani, Sidney Powell, and One America News.

Turns out, it's been purchased by a Republican-owned election tech firm that insisted on it, per Axios.

www.axios.com/2025/10/09/d...
jamesrball.com
Absolutely not.
merriam-webster.com
Here’s a primer on ‘primer.’

It’s pronounced ‘PRIMM-er’ if you mean “a small book” or “a short informative piece of writing.”

It’s pronounced ‘PRY-mer’ if you mean “an initial coat of paint.”
jamesrball.com
Feel like this one aged quite well, tbh.
Am I missing something? What exactly has Barack Obama done (yet) to earn the peace prize?
Reposted by James Ball
darthbluesky.bsky.social
i am not saying the world has gone completely bonkers but
the world has gone absolutely completely bonkers
dannykpolitics.bsky.social
WATCH: ‘Portland Frog’ pepper balled by ICE agents
Reposted by James Ball
noahshachtman.bsky.social
I assume Jim Jordan will be holding months' worth of hearings on the weaponization of the Justice Department. Yes?
washingtonpost.com
The Justice Department won an indictment against New York Attorney General Letitia James Thursday.

The indictment makes James the second of President Trump’s political foes to be charged in the Eastern District of Virginia.
Justice Department indicts N.Y. attorney general
Justice Department wins indictment against New York Attorney General Letitia James, accusing her of committing mortgage fraud in 2023.
www.washingtonpost.com
Reposted by James Ball
danneidle.bsky.social
So the immediate effect of abolishing stamp duty is that house prices rise, with a disproportionate benefit for people in £10m+ homes.

Abolition would literally be handing them £1m+
jamesrball.com
Please, my discourse, she is very sick.
tompowdrill.bsky.social
This is, frankly, hilarious. The Resolution Foundation is “unapologetically Marxist”.
This is commentary from the Jupiter Merlin team’s Merlin Weekly Macro newsletter.
jamesrball.com
Plot twist: it ONLY takes dogs
jamesrball.com
This all feels like it's creeping towards something that could get very dark indeed.
royalpratt.bsky.social
Chicago federal court chief judge says she has not requested National Guard for courthouse
Reposted by James Ball
Reposted by James Ball
gtconway.bsky.social
Apart from helping Comey's selective prosecution defense, this also means the president of the United States uses direct messages on Truth Social to communicate with cabinet officials.

I didn't know that, but we can be sure intelligence agencies all over the planet already did.
jamesrball.com
Have you been a particularly austere parent?
jamesrball.com
"Isn’t it convenient that Trump has managed what could be a monumental breakthrough on peace in the Middle East just 24 hours before the winner of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize is announced? No one is going to upset anything before Friday’s announcement – but the weekend after might be another matter."
This Gaza deal is full of danger - starting with an increasingly erratic Trump
There is a danger that everyone is playing a game to appease an erratic Trump
inews.co.uk
jamesrball.com
"There is a danger that everyone is playing a game here to appease an increasingly erratic Trump, who often seems detached from reality. The fear is that all sides are signing a “deal” they have no intention to keep to, in the hope that they can find a way to collapse it and blame the other side."
This Gaza deal is full of danger - starting with an increasingly erratic Trump
There is a danger that everyone is playing a game to appease an erratic Trump
inews.co.uk
jamesrball.com
Just a bunch of trade stats and market research seem to knock down an overstated trend in mainstream reporting, tbh. I don’t think there’s nothing to it (demographics / time changes etc) but I think the narrative is at least overstated.
jamesrball.com
Decoding the gurus is great when you’ve got hours to kill and are feeling semi-coherent
jamesrball.com
There are reasons to think the claims that Gen Z “doesn’t drink” or even drink less than millennials did at their age aren’t true – it seems to be partly a Covid effect and partly some dodgy stats.

But I could easily believe they drink earlier and go home earlier. Pubs look *quiet* after 9pm now…
byrobdavies.bsky.social
Pub industry folk: What do you make of this?

I'm sure it's not unwelcome but will it make much difference?

My impression is that you're struggling to fill space until 10pm, let alone 1am.

www.theguardian.com/business/202...
Pubs to stay open until early hours in push for UK growth
Exclusive: Plans for England and Wales would help the ailing hospitality sector but have attracted criticism from health experts
www.theguardian.com
jamesrball.com
I'm not sure it's actually a real effect – there have been some reports that seem to show it was a bit of a Covid hangover / data collection issue and Gen Z might be drinking at the same levels millennials did at their age after all that.
Reposted by James Ball
jacobgrier.bsky.social
Reading this post from a recently opened coffeeshop enclosed by surprisingly transparent plywood.
View from a coffeeshop with wall-length windows
jamesrball.com
*checks Nobel timetable*

Uh-HUH. Sure.
nycsouthpaw.bsky.social
Real quandary for Rubio: how do you pull your boss out of a meeting with Andy Ngo and other esteemed pro-fascist personages?
Secretary of State Marco Rubio whispers in the ear of President Donald Trump after handing him a note about a Middle East deal saying "Very close. We need you to approve a Truth Social post soon so you can announce deal first"
jamesrball.com
I audibly made a noncommittal highish pitched “hmm” noise to this, which is a weirdly intense way to be hit by a mild emotion
jamesrball.com
“Fox News ran archive footage of burning buildings and violent riots from several years ago. Trump has repeatedly referred to these scenes as if they are current, and his White House seems ready to send troops into Portland to contain an imaginary crisis.”
inews.co.uk/opinion/trum...
Trump the peacemaker abroad appears a warlord at home – his supporters don't want this
The President's voters put him into office to make their lives better, not to sink them into chaos
inews.co.uk
jamesrball.com
Just Jack Posobiec, of pizzagate ‘fame’, advising the White House. Because of course he is.
justinbaragona.bsky.social
Incredible.

Jack Posobiec references the earliest version of antifa -- the anti-fascists in the Weimar Republic who were opposed to the Nazi Party -- as the bad guys.
jamesrball.com
I still hate it, but it’s a hell of a lot more honest (and less contemptible) than the other explanations people have offered.
jacktindale.bsky.social
I do have some respect for Pete Davidson just going "they offered me a shitload of cash and I took it" rather than pious drivel about "changing attitudes".