Jon Thatcher
@jonthatcher.bsky.social
You may know me through FileMaker. Not the bass guitarist.
Hiker, skier, reader. Husband. Father.
Hiker, skier, reader. Husband. Father.
Reposted by Jon Thatcher
"I doubt Senator Kelly will see this blog, and if he does see it, I imagine he will not be pleased with it. He’ll probably find it embarrassing. His humility likely makes him bristle at stuff like this. Well, that’s just too damn bad, Senator."
The Extraordinary Military Career of Mark Kelly
Good lord, has this man done a lot.
charlotteclymer.substack.com
January 6, 2026 at 2:13 AM
"I doubt Senator Kelly will see this blog, and if he does see it, I imagine he will not be pleased with it. He’ll probably find it embarrassing. His humility likely makes him bristle at stuff like this. Well, that’s just too damn bad, Senator."
Reposted by Jon Thatcher
Trump is incoherently ranting and raving during this speech to House Republicans, who are sitting in silence as his brain flits around wildly
January 6, 2026 at 4:08 PM
Trump is incoherently ranting and raving during this speech to House Republicans, who are sitting in silence as his brain flits around wildly
Reposted by Jon Thatcher
The Free Press ran an article by an intern saying Stanford Internet Observatory had students participate in the censorship of Hunter Biden’s laptop and the lab leak hypothesis. Utter nonsense.
There was neither a request for comment nor a response to my request for correction. It never happened.
There was neither a request for comment nor a response to my request for correction. It never happened.
Bari Weiss's Free Press website ran this screed by Matt Taibbi defending his lawsuit against a book author.
But the Free Press apparently never reached out to the author. Even though Weiss spiked that 60 Minutes piece for not reaching out to enough Trump officials www.thefp.com/p/matt-taibb...
But the Free Press apparently never reached out to the author. Even though Weiss spiked that 60 Minutes piece for not reaching out to enough Trump officials www.thefp.com/p/matt-taibb...
Matt Taibbi: To Protect Free Speech, I’m Suing the Man Who Defamed Me
There’s a difference between censorship, which prevents speech, and seeking restitution for a harmful lie already in print. That's why I'm suing the man who defamed me, writes Matt Taibbi.
www.thefp.com
January 6, 2026 at 4:09 PM
The Free Press ran an article by an intern saying Stanford Internet Observatory had students participate in the censorship of Hunter Biden’s laptop and the lab leak hypothesis. Utter nonsense.
There was neither a request for comment nor a response to my request for correction. It never happened.
There was neither a request for comment nor a response to my request for correction. It never happened.
Reposted by Jon Thatcher
US justice department has released less than 1% of Epstein files, filing reveals www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
US justice department has released less than 1% of Epstein files, filing reveals
Federal law required majority of documents to be released by 19 December, but only 125,575 pages have been published
www.theguardian.com
January 6, 2026 at 4:11 PM
US justice department has released less than 1% of Epstein files, filing reveals www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...
Reposted by Jon Thatcher
I wish we could cancel the election, suggests the guy who truly loves American democracy. bsky.app/profile/atru...
Trump: "They have the worst policy. How we have to even run against these people -- I won't say cancel the election, they should cancel the election, because the fake news with say, 'He wants the elections canceled. He's a dictator.' They always call me a dictator. Nobody is worse than Obama."
January 6, 2026 at 3:38 PM
I wish we could cancel the election, suggests the guy who truly loves American democracy. bsky.app/profile/atru...
Reposted by Jon Thatcher
@hcrichardson.bsky.social -- Think it's important that people tune in to either @ms.now or @pbs.org to watch the hearing live to let those news outlets know they have viewers willing to support their choice to, as Christiane Amanpour says, "be truthful, not neutral."
www.pbs.org/newshour/pol...
www.pbs.org/newshour/pol...
January 6, 2026 at 4:10 PM
@hcrichardson.bsky.social -- Think it's important that people tune in to either @ms.now or @pbs.org to watch the hearing live to let those news outlets know they have viewers willing to support their choice to, as Christiane Amanpour says, "be truthful, not neutral."
www.pbs.org/newshour/pol...
www.pbs.org/newshour/pol...
Reposted by Jon Thatcher
There we go. That there’s a headline.
Who’s who at X, the deepfake porn site formerly known as Twitter
A look inside Elon Musk’s big tent
www.ft.com
January 6, 2026 at 4:08 PM
There we go. That there’s a headline.
Reposted by Jon Thatcher
Bari Weiss's Free Press website ran this screed by Matt Taibbi defending his lawsuit against a book author.
But the Free Press apparently never reached out to the author. Even though Weiss spiked that 60 Minutes piece for not reaching out to enough Trump officials www.thefp.com/p/matt-taibb...
But the Free Press apparently never reached out to the author. Even though Weiss spiked that 60 Minutes piece for not reaching out to enough Trump officials www.thefp.com/p/matt-taibb...
Matt Taibbi: To Protect Free Speech, I’m Suing the Man Who Defamed Me
There’s a difference between censorship, which prevents speech, and seeking restitution for a harmful lie already in print. That's why I'm suing the man who defamed me, writes Matt Taibbi.
www.thefp.com
January 6, 2026 at 3:27 AM
Bari Weiss's Free Press website ran this screed by Matt Taibbi defending his lawsuit against a book author.
But the Free Press apparently never reached out to the author. Even though Weiss spiked that 60 Minutes piece for not reaching out to enough Trump officials www.thefp.com/p/matt-taibb...
But the Free Press apparently never reached out to the author. Even though Weiss spiked that 60 Minutes piece for not reaching out to enough Trump officials www.thefp.com/p/matt-taibb...
Reposted by Jon Thatcher
The American people electing Trump after he staged a coup attempt 5 years ago was a nail in the coffin of our democracy. You can rationalize it all you want - But inflation! But wokeness! - but ultimately it was a societal suicide attempt and probably the dumbest collective voting decision ever made
January 6, 2026 at 2:51 PM
The American people electing Trump after he staged a coup attempt 5 years ago was a nail in the coffin of our democracy. You can rationalize it all you want - But inflation! But wokeness! - but ultimately it was a societal suicide attempt and probably the dumbest collective voting decision ever made
Reposted by Jon Thatcher
Not crazy to say there was a much clearer criminal case against MBS, who ordered the murder of an American newspaper columnist, than there is against Maduro.
BARTIROMO: With all due respect, I think the goal here is to stop the drug and human trafficking into America, and I don't think Saudi Arabia is sending fentanyl into America
RAND PAUL: Well, neither does Venezuela
RAND PAUL: Well, neither does Venezuela
January 6, 2026 at 3:39 PM
Not crazy to say there was a much clearer criminal case against MBS, who ordered the murder of an American newspaper columnist, than there is against Maduro.
Reposted by Jon Thatcher
I went from “I guess I will always stay in a Hilton from now on” to “I will never stay at a Hilton again” so freaking fast.
The Hampton Inn Lakeville Minneapolis has been kicked out of the Hilton chain after a conservative commentator visited the hotel this morning and attempted to book accommodations posing as a DHS representative — a day after the property refused accommodations for federal immigration agents.
January 6, 2026 at 4:06 PM
I went from “I guess I will always stay in a Hilton from now on” to “I will never stay at a Hilton again” so freaking fast.
Reposted by Jon Thatcher
I think the Greenland threat is a troll. I think.
But it would sure be nice for some senators and GOP house members to speak up now and make it clear that an attack on a nato ally would lead to removal from office
But it would sure be nice for some senators and GOP house members to speak up now and make it clear that an attack on a nato ally would lead to removal from office
January 6, 2026 at 2:42 AM
I think the Greenland threat is a troll. I think.
But it would sure be nice for some senators and GOP house members to speak up now and make it clear that an attack on a nato ally would lead to removal from office
But it would sure be nice for some senators and GOP house members to speak up now and make it clear that an attack on a nato ally would lead to removal from office
Reposted by Jon Thatcher
I wrote section 230 to protect user speech, not a company's own speech. I've long said AI chatbot outputs are not protected by 230 and that it is not a close call. Given that the Trump administration is going to the mat to protect pedophiles, states should step in to hold Musk and X accountable.
I am not a Section 230 expert but being that Twitter is creating and publishing these photos I wonder if they actually have any civil legal protection? @kenwhite.bsky.social ? @akivamcohen.bsky.social ?
What X is allowing Grok to do is unlawful or regulatory-illegal in multiple jurisdictions, creates clear DSA violations, and continues despite regulator scrutiny. The images do not need to be pornographic, non-consensual sexualised or intimate depictions are enough.
January 5, 2026 at 11:10 PM
I wrote section 230 to protect user speech, not a company's own speech. I've long said AI chatbot outputs are not protected by 230 and that it is not a close call. Given that the Trump administration is going to the mat to protect pedophiles, states should step in to hold Musk and X accountable.
Reposted by Jon Thatcher
I predict that 2026 will be a big year for the “Hey Ed!” series.
January 5, 2026 at 6:57 PM
I predict that 2026 will be a big year for the “Hey Ed!” series.
Reposted by Jon Thatcher
Welp. I just deleted a couple of posts that were deep in threads that a whole bunch of people were taking out of context and accusing me of things I was not advocating for. My mentions are destroyed for the day and I have real work to do, so comments off on this post as well.
January 5, 2026 at 7:25 PM
Welp. I just deleted a couple of posts that were deep in threads that a whole bunch of people were taking out of context and accusing me of things I was not advocating for. My mentions are destroyed for the day and I have real work to do, so comments off on this post as well.
Reposted by Jon Thatcher
Outrageous—oil executives notified of a military strike before Congress.
And Trump's putting the lives of U.S. servicemembers at risk to help his donors get rich off Venezuela's oil.
It's not about democracy or drugs. It's Iraq all over again, just more openly corrupt.
And Trump's putting the lives of U.S. servicemembers at risk to help his donors get rich off Venezuela's oil.
It's not about democracy or drugs. It's Iraq all over again, just more openly corrupt.
Reporter: Did you speak with the oil companies before the operation? Did you tip them off?
Trump: Before and after. They want to go in and they’re going to do a great job.
Trump: Before and after. They want to go in and they’re going to do a great job.
January 5, 2026 at 7:29 PM
Outrageous—oil executives notified of a military strike before Congress.
And Trump's putting the lives of U.S. servicemembers at risk to help his donors get rich off Venezuela's oil.
It's not about democracy or drugs. It's Iraq all over again, just more openly corrupt.
And Trump's putting the lives of U.S. servicemembers at risk to help his donors get rich off Venezuela's oil.
It's not about democracy or drugs. It's Iraq all over again, just more openly corrupt.
Reposted by Jon Thatcher
The Trump administration has said it was improving the SSA. A year in, it looks like the mess that everyone else predicted. Not enough staff, manipulation of numbers and declining performance.
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
January 5, 2026 at 3:25 PM
The Trump administration has said it was improving the SSA. A year in, it looks like the mess that everyone else predicted. Not enough staff, manipulation of numbers and declining performance.
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Reposted by Jon Thatcher
One of the most lopsided results you'll ever see in a poll, from our weekend Washington Post poll www.washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
January 5, 2026 at 3:39 PM
One of the most lopsided results you'll ever see in a poll, from our weekend Washington Post poll www.washingtonpost.com/politics/int...
Reposted by Jon Thatcher
With Trump very transparently saying that the invasion of Venezuela was to take their oil, let's dive into oil markets. TL;DR - it's not at all clear to me that Trump or the people around him have any coherent long term strategy.
January 5, 2026 at 3:23 PM
With Trump very transparently saying that the invasion of Venezuela was to take their oil, let's dive into oil markets. TL;DR - it's not at all clear to me that Trump or the people around him have any coherent long term strategy.
Reposted by Jon Thatcher
FT captures what is almost certainly the common global attitude (among our democratic allies at least) toward trump giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
January 5, 2026 at 5:50 AM
FT captures what is almost certainly the common global attitude (among our democratic allies at least) toward trump giftarticle.ft.com/giftarticle/...
Reposted by Jon Thatcher
WH sources say Venezuela's opposition leader committed the "ultimate sin": She accepted the Nobel Peace prize.
“If she had turned it down and said, ‘I can’t accept it because it’s Donald Trump’s,’ she’d be the president of Venezuela today,” one said.
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
“If she had turned it down and said, ‘I can’t accept it because it’s Donald Trump’s,’ she’d be the president of Venezuela today,” one said.
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
January 5, 2026 at 3:02 AM
WH sources say Venezuela's opposition leader committed the "ultimate sin": She accepted the Nobel Peace prize.
“If she had turned it down and said, ‘I can’t accept it because it’s Donald Trump’s,’ she’d be the president of Venezuela today,” one said.
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
“If she had turned it down and said, ‘I can’t accept it because it’s Donald Trump’s,’ she’d be the president of Venezuela today,” one said.
www.washingtonpost.com/national-sec...
Reposted by Jon Thatcher
This is how you do it. No preamble to swear to God you don't like Maduro.
January 3, 2026 at 9:23 PM
This is how you do it. No preamble to swear to God you don't like Maduro.
Reposted by Jon Thatcher
I know this is extremely tangential to the LIST OF REASONS WHY PEOPLE SHOULD NOT USE SUBSTACK
But one of them is that even when you use your own domain with them, when someone shares a link from the Substack app, it points to Substack instead of your name/brand
They don’t respect you, the user!!
But one of them is that even when you use your own domain with them, when someone shares a link from the Substack app, it points to Substack instead of your name/brand
They don’t respect you, the user!!
January 4, 2026 at 5:29 PM
I know this is extremely tangential to the LIST OF REASONS WHY PEOPLE SHOULD NOT USE SUBSTACK
But one of them is that even when you use your own domain with them, when someone shares a link from the Substack app, it points to Substack instead of your name/brand
They don’t respect you, the user!!
But one of them is that even when you use your own domain with them, when someone shares a link from the Substack app, it points to Substack instead of your name/brand
They don’t respect you, the user!!
Reposted by Jon Thatcher
Zelensky on Venezuela:
“About Venezuela? How should I respond to that? Well, what can I say? If… If it is possible to act with dictators like this, it means the United States knows what to do next. Thank you”
Omg I love it.
“About Venezuela? How should I respond to that? Well, what can I say? If… If it is possible to act with dictators like this, it means the United States knows what to do next. Thank you”
Omg I love it.
January 4, 2026 at 1:32 AM
Zelensky on Venezuela:
“About Venezuela? How should I respond to that? Well, what can I say? If… If it is possible to act with dictators like this, it means the United States knows what to do next. Thank you”
Omg I love it.
“About Venezuela? How should I respond to that? Well, what can I say? If… If it is possible to act with dictators like this, it means the United States knows what to do next. Thank you”
Omg I love it.