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John Knefel

@johnknefel.bsky.social

5.3K followers 490 following 600 posts

senior writer at media matters (stuff here is my own opinion etc, likes are bookmarks)

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John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 12h

👍

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been a public advocate for Machado and joined other U.S. lawmakers last year, when he was a senator, to support her nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. He, along with Senator Rick Scott of Florida and other Republican members of Congress, signed a letter addressed to the Norwegian Nobel Committee hailing her efforts to promote democracy while under severe pressure from the Maduro government.

The push by top aides to President Trump to remove Nicolás Maduro as the leader of Venezuela has intensified in recent days, with administration officials discussing a broad campaign that would escalate military pressure to try to force him out, U.S. officials say.

It is being led by Marco Rubio, the secretary of state and national security adviser. Mr. Rubio argues that Mr. Maduro is an illegitimate leader who oversees the export of drugs to the United States, which he says poses an “imminent threat.”

Reposted by John Knefel

Ahhhhh @nerdjpg.com · 15h

Love it

María Corina Machado
Follow
@MariaCorinaYA
This recognition of the struggle of all Venezuelans is a boost to conclude our task: to conquer Freedom.
We are on the threshold of victory and today, more than ever, we count on President Trump, the people of the United States, the peoples of Latin America, and the democratic nations of the world as our principal allies to achieve Freedom and democracy.
I dedicate this prize to the suffering people of Venezuela and to President Trump for his decisive support of our cause!
8:34 AM • 10/10/25 • 30K Views

John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 15h

Hat tip to Grandin, as always

Phone rings at 5:45

Amy Goodman: Greg, it’s MCM.

Me: Money->commodities ->money?

Amy: no,María Corina Machado

Me: is she dead?

Amy: no, they gave her the peace prize.

me: Kissinger’s smiling

John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 15h

Giving the Nobel Peace Prize to someone who is begging Trump to start a war of choice with her Latin American country, but doing it with a little swipe at Trump -- that's the excellence I'd expect from a body that bestowed the same award on Kissinger

John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 16h

sorry guys, my fault on this one

Nobel Peace Prize Awarded to Venezuelan Opposition Leader María Corina Machado

Reposted by John Knefel

aaron from queens from twitter @aaronnarraph.bsky.social · 1d

the background on zohran's colbert appearance is jaw-droppingly disgusting

John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 7d

There's a lot of attention on the boat strikes, understandably so, but beyond that there is an undercurrent of "government in waiting" in the discourse around Machado that is unmistakable to anyone who remembers the names Ahmed Chalabi and Hamid Karzai

John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 7d

Way, way more people need to know the name of Maria Corina Machado, Venezuela's top opposition leader. She's received two glowing profiles in the NYT, one in Elle, was listed in Time 100 this year (blurb written by Rubio), and is a mainstay in conservative media pushing for toppling Maduro

John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 9d

At least two articles in the NYT in last 24 hours (1 news, 1 ed board) deliberately undercount the official death toll in Gaza by 6,000 people. In Pundit Brain terms, that's about two 9/11s.

There's a story out there for a media reporter. I have old threads detailing this practice over months.

Israel’s restrictions on goods entering Gaza have become more severe since the war there, which began in response to the Hamas-led attack of Oct. 7, 2023. More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the war, and parts of the enclave have been suffering from famine in recent months, according to a United Nations-backed panel of food experts whose findings Israel has rejected.

John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 9d

Solidarity with the brave people aboard the Sumud Flotilla, as it appears they are on the verge of being intercepted by Israeli ships. Their cause is righteous, and they are an inspiration to everyone who believes that one day Palestine will be free.

John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 9d

we're truly not prepared for what the "do your own research" crowd is going to become in the age of chatbots who seek to flatter and reinforce a user's priors (yes i'm watching bannon right now)

John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 9d

Still up on Heritage's homepage under "Our Impact" lol

White House withdraws E.J. Antoni's nomination to run the Bureau of Labor Statistics
Trump fired the previous BLS chief after claiming, without evidence, that the jobs report was "rigged."

Heritage Foundation Chief Economist EJ Antoni Nominated to be Commissioner of Labor Statistics

John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 9d

They float Arab countries invading Gaza if Hamas continues to exist as a "political force" and deliberately obscure Israel's expansion of the the genocide into the West Bank. Beyond that, it's filled with the same lazy cliches the paper has deployed for decades. Shameful, evil shit.

The biggest risk in the wake of Mr. Trump’s proposal is that both Israel and Hamas will claim they want peace while failing to take difficult steps to get there. Mr. Netanyahu might slow-walk Israel’s departure from Gaza, and Hamas might attempt to retain a behind-the-scenes role in running Gaza — with each side blaming the other all the while. In that scenario, Arab and U.S. leaders will need to display more courage than they have so far. Arab leaders will need to tell Hamas that it is finished as a political force in Gaza and then back up that declaration with troops.

Regardless, many other intractable problems would remain, including how to halt the growing crisis in the West Bank, whether future Palestinian leaders accept Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state and whether Israel’s current leaders will accept Palestinians’ right to statehood.

John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 9d

There is no demand for deradicalization in Israel, despite polls that regularly find results like this

Crucially, as experts at the Wilson Center in Washington have argued, this authority should create a program in schools, the media and elsewhere “to remove Hamas’s pervasive radicalizing influence over Gazan society.” Another task would be disarming any Hamas fighters who keep fighting. Qatar, given its longtime relationship with Hamas, can help pressure the group, much as the United States can pressure Israel.

There are historical antecedents for an international mission along these lines. Deradicalization programs succeeded in Germany and Japan after World War II, and multinational police forces have operated in Bosnia, Kosovo, Haiti and elsewhere. Of course, these efforts come with dangers. Participating countries would risk having their personnel become targets for Hamas. But there are no risk-free solutions in Gaza. And if the effort works, it could be the most significant progress in decades toward Palestinian statehood, which Arab nations have long supported.

Poll: 62% of Israelis say “there are no innocent people in Gaza”

John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 9d

It's hard to know where to start with the NYT editorial board's take on Trump's neocolonial Gaza takeover. For one, they begin by deliberately undercounting the official death toll, something the paper (news & opinion) has consistently done over the course of the genocide

It needs to end for the people of Gaza, more than 60,000 of whom — roughly 3 percent of the population — have been killed.

Palestinian death toll tops 66,000 as Netanyahu prepares to meet Trump

Reposted by John Knefel

Dana El Kurd @danaelkurd.bsky.social · 10d

The obscenity is too much to stomach.

Colonial overlords by another name, and the Palestinians are expected yet again to acquiesce

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 10d

Trump on Gaza: "We're gonna create something that was my idea but unfortunately I got drafted. It's gonna be called the 'board of peace.' And it's gonna reign over that territory. They asked me if I'd be the chairman of the board of peace. I said yes."

John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 10d

I'm paraphrasing Malcolm Harris but if Democratic mayors & governors thought they controlled local & state law enforcement they could direct armed agents of the state to protect their residents, but everyone knows the cops don't answer to anyone but themselves they just don't want to say it

Aaron Rupar @atrupar.com · 10d

Trump: "The ones that are run by radical left Democrats -- what they've done to San Francisco, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles. They're very unsafe places & we're gonna straighten them out one by one. This is gonna be a major part for some people in this room. That's a war too. It's war from within"

John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 10d

Co-written by @mcmasterreed.bsky.social & @bambooboy.bsky.social, both great follows

John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 10d

I wrote about how Trump watched TV (probably Fox) in early September and then decided to send troops to Portland. Right-wing media outlets have spent the entire month painting Portland as a war zone, & Bannon wants the FBI to kick in 1K doors to arrest "antifa." New @mmfa.bsky.social

Right-wing media’s dystopian Portland coverage feeds into Trump’s threats to deploy National Guard

www.mediamatters.org

John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 13d

Trump is putting ICE into areas that are likely to resist and justifying an accompanying military presence as protecting the mass deportation program. It’s sort of an end around to avoid invoking the Insurrection Act, which they still might do

John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 13d

A concept in military doctrine that assumed a real primacy in Obama’s drone war and after was “force protection.” In practice, it meant putting US troops in areas where they might get targeted and then killing those who might target them. ICE and the military are doing a similar thing domestically

John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 13d

While all eyes have been on other cities, Bannon has been pushing for a Portland deployment on his show almost daily for weeks now

Ashton Pittman @ashtonpittman.bsky.social · 13d

Trump says he authorizes Hegseth to deploy the military to Portland, which he lyingly calls "war ravaged," and says he is authorizing "full force."

Donald J. Trump
@realDonaldTrump
+
At the request of Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, I am directing Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, to provide all necessary Troops to protect War ravaged Portland, and any of our ICE Facilities under siege from attack by Antifa, and other domestic terrorists. I am also authorizing Full Force, if necessary. Thank you for your attention to this matter!
506 ReTruths 1.62k Likes
9/27/25, 9:19

John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 14d

Conservative media figures have called Argentina's far-right President Javier Milei an inspiration and treated his brutal austerity programs as a model for the US. Now, the country's economy is in free fall and Trump might offer Milei a bailout. Latest at @mmfa.bsky.social

Right-wing media touted Milei’s austerity schemes. Now Argentina might need a US bailout.

Right-wing media figures have long embraced Argentina President Javier Milei and his extreme austerity and privatization measures, which have now plunged his country into chaos and even triggered the ...

www.mediamatters.org

John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 14d

in the abstract, there's a certain narrative coherence to the head of an organization committed to anti-communism and crushing the left getting frogmarched by fascists as the liberal order proves itself too weak to resist

John Knefel @johnknefel.bsky.social · 14d

starting to feel like we're really in the shit now

Trump signs memo targeting ‘domestic terrorism’ amid fears of crackdown on the left

US president criticizes ‘anarchists and agitators’ as he unveils memo expected to meet fierce legal pushback

www.theguardian.com