Matt Wright
@mattwright.bsky.social
Restaurant owner in Austin, dad, hoops fan. Main interests: #rstats, data viz, Power BI, cheaper housing, Wem-V-P. (Not a frequent poster.)
Pinned
Matt Wright
@mattwright.bsky.social
· Nov 10
Reposted by Matt Wright
in real terms, #7 would give states leverage to put an end to surges, #8 would give states the ability to outright stop construction of new detention facilities, #1 and #6 would slow the rate at which DHS could train and deploy officers, #2 and #10 would likely shrink the pool of recruits
Schumer & Jeffries lay out the Democratic demands for a DHS funding deal in a letter to the top Republican leaders
February 5, 2026 at 3:18 AM
in real terms, #7 would give states leverage to put an end to surges, #8 would give states the ability to outright stop construction of new detention facilities, #1 and #6 would slow the rate at which DHS could train and deploy officers, #2 and #10 would likely shrink the pool of recruits
Hyde Park/North Loop, I love, but you have got to learn how to stage and photograph your ugly houses better
February 4, 2026 at 11:50 PM
Hyde Park/North Loop, I love, but you have got to learn how to stage and photograph your ugly houses better
Reposted by Matt Wright
this is exactly right. "popularism" in practice amounts to an abdication of political leadership!
This part of our response essay is where I'm at. Boiling down all of politics to electoralism has been absolutely terrible for resisting rising authoritarianism.
www.bostonreview.net/forum/how-no...
www.bostonreview.net/forum/how-no...
February 4, 2026 at 2:25 AM
this is exactly right. "popularism" in practice amounts to an abdication of political leadership!
Reposted by Matt Wright
Remember the incident where DHS claimed officers shot a guy because he attacked them with a snow shovel?
Yeah. It didn't happen. They shot him through the door of his own home. And then arrested him. And then lied about it. Again.
And they almost shot some kids in the process.
Yeah. It didn't happen. They shot him through the door of his own home. And then arrested him. And then lied about it. Again.
And they almost shot some kids in the process.
They just blindly shot through the fucking door.
"Additional photographs show damage consistent with a bullet fragment lodged in a bedroom wall down the hallway — suggesting it traveled between a mattress and a portable crib in a room where several small children sleep."
"Additional photographs show damage consistent with a bullet fragment lodged in a bedroom wall down the hallway — suggesting it traveled between a mattress and a portable crib in a room where several small children sleep."
"Photographic evidence from the shooting scene of a Venezuelan man by federal agents last month in Minneapolis supports the account of witnesses there – and appears to undercut the narrative provided by federal officials." www.startribune.com/ice-raids-mi...
February 3, 2026 at 11:33 PM
Remember the incident where DHS claimed officers shot a guy because he attacked them with a snow shovel?
Yeah. It didn't happen. They shot him through the door of his own home. And then arrested him. And then lied about it. Again.
And they almost shot some kids in the process.
Yeah. It didn't happen. They shot him through the door of his own home. And then arrested him. And then lied about it. Again.
And they almost shot some kids in the process.
Reposted by Matt Wright
Tear gas is banned in international warfare, yet classified as a “riot control agent” that law enforcement can use for crowd control.
“It just doesn’t work well, and it hits the weakest people the most, and causes the most complications in them,” an anesthesiology professor at Duke University said.
“It just doesn’t work well, and it hits the weakest people the most, and causes the most complications in them,” an anesthesiology professor at Duke University said.
Tear Gas Is Way More Dangerous Than Police Let On
In the middle of a respiratory pandemic, law enforcement agencies have used tear gas in especially dangerous ways. The chemical agent also seeps into homes, contaminates food, furniture, skin and surf...
www.propublica.org
February 3, 2026 at 2:40 AM
Tear gas is banned in international warfare, yet classified as a “riot control agent” that law enforcement can use for crowd control.
“It just doesn’t work well, and it hits the weakest people the most, and causes the most complications in them,” an anesthesiology professor at Duke University said.
“It just doesn’t work well, and it hits the weakest people the most, and causes the most complications in them,” an anesthesiology professor at Duke University said.
Reposted by Matt Wright
This rolled up on my IG reels and I nearly couldn't believe it but the tape is ... right there
President poops pants on tape.
00:33 - it happens
00:50 - Trump gestures to leave
00:53 - Lady behind him gestures it's a code 2
00:54 - PR staff usher everyone out
01:08 - Hot mic catches PR staffer saying "Are we gonna flip for this, or what are we gonna do?...I really can't do this again"
00:33 - it happens
00:50 - Trump gestures to leave
00:53 - Lady behind him gestures it's a code 2
00:54 - PR staff usher everyone out
01:08 - Hot mic catches PR staffer saying "Are we gonna flip for this, or what are we gonna do?...I really can't do this again"
The comments on this video are all over it lmao. It happens at 0:33 seconds, you can hear it, the woman in green immediately notices, and they end this event in an EMERGENCY.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_6k...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=u_6k...
February 3, 2026 at 1:00 AM
This rolled up on my IG reels and I nearly couldn't believe it but the tape is ... right there
Reposted by Matt Wright
“Criminality is so rampant inside CBP that it has seen one of its own agents or officers arrested every 24 to 36 hours since 2005.”
As the House prepares to fight over how much of DHS to shut down, I encourage you to pick your favorite factoid from this @vermontgmg.bsky.social report on CBP/ICE criminality and send it to your MoC.
www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/accountabi...
www.doomsdayscenario.co/p/accountabi...
Accountability for ICE and CBP
However bad you think the corruption and misconduct at ICE and CBP is — the reality is far far worse.
www.doomsdayscenario.co
February 2, 2026 at 5:17 PM
“Criminality is so rampant inside CBP that it has seen one of its own agents or officers arrested every 24 to 36 hours since 2005.”
Reposted by Matt Wright
this particular line is maybe the best statement of purpose i have seen for those of us who want a more militant opposition to this administration
“Let us be clear: we want the power of the state. We wish to hold the criminals of the regime accountable. We wish to seize back the public funds looted by Trump and his cronies. We wish to undo the damage he has done to the government. More than any of that we wish to rebuild.”
From Powerlessness to Power
We will not achieve any of our ultimate goals without exercising state power, and the most effective way to take state power is through nonviolent but confrontational resistance.
www.liberalcurrents.com
February 2, 2026 at 12:34 PM
this particular line is maybe the best statement of purpose i have seen for those of us who want a more militant opposition to this administration
I agree with this post but also wish people weren’t trying to draw national inferences from Texas’ weird, off-session state senate races bsky.app/profile/adam...
We can take the W that Dems are MOTIVATED and look to other races as bellwethers
We can take the W that Dems are MOTIVATED and look to other races as bellwethers
The common 🧵 in every single election, from Susan Crawford in Wisconsin to Zohran Mamdani in NYC to Taylor Rehmet in Texas, is that a clear majority of voters don't like evil, hate, incompetence, & far right authoritarianism. The policy details are election-specific, but that's the hummable tune.
Data / quant note: What model or message testing predicted how public opinion would shift 32 points in one year in this Texas seat?
None. No quant data could solely determine the correct message for this, no linear model could based on ad tests or issue polls.
None. No quant data could solely determine the correct message for this, no linear model could based on ad tests or issue polls.
February 1, 2026 at 7:13 PM
I agree with this post but also wish people weren’t trying to draw national inferences from Texas’ weird, off-session state senate races bsky.app/profile/adam...
We can take the W that Dems are MOTIVATED and look to other races as bellwethers
We can take the W that Dems are MOTIVATED and look to other races as bellwethers
Reposted by Matt Wright
oh thank god
liam and his dad are home!
and someone please get rep. castro a coat!
and someone please get rep. castro a coat!
February 1, 2026 at 4:56 PM
oh thank god
It’s one TX Senate district, Michael. How much could it swing, 30 points?
The R candidate has apparently conceded, so that's a flip folks. Probably a 30-point swing vs 2024 per The Downballot, could be 35 vs the 2022 election in the seat docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
The Downballot's special elections Big Board for the 2025-26 cycle
docs.google.com
February 1, 2026 at 5:11 AM
It’s one TX Senate district, Michael. How much could it swing, 30 points?
JFC
Just experienced the most intense tear gassing of my life by federal officers outside the ICE facility in Portland where marchers gathered. There was no fast exit as they indiscriminately threw loads of gas and flash bangs. Children were in the crowd screaming. @oregoncapitalchronicle.com
February 1, 2026 at 5:02 AM
JFC
My view from in the crowd while @gregcasar.bsky.social spoke
January 31, 2026 at 11:22 PM
My view from in the crowd while @gregcasar.bsky.social spoke
Reposted by Matt Wright
The map of the world has been changed by sick men
“Enormous decisions have been made in the last 30 or 40 years by people who’ve had two and three strokes….The map of the world has been changed by sick men.”
— Orson Welles
— Orson Welles
January 31, 2026 at 5:20 AM
The map of the world has been changed by sick men
This might be the stupidest fucking thing I’ve ever read
I don’t know what I expected when I saw that Chris Rufo was taking on the “fascism canard” but lol
January 30, 2026 at 7:13 PM
This might be the stupidest fucking thing I’ve ever read
Reposted by Matt Wright
A drawing by a 5-year-old girl detained at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas with her mother Hayam El-Gamal. “I am 5 years old” is written at the top of the page. Lower down, next to stick figures, are the words “let us go.” Courtesy of Eric Lee, Lee & Godshall-Bennett, LLP
January 29, 2026 at 9:20 PM
A drawing by a 5-year-old girl detained at the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas with her mother Hayam El-Gamal. “I am 5 years old” is written at the top of the page. Lower down, next to stick figures, are the words “let us go.” Courtesy of Eric Lee, Lee & Godshall-Bennett, LLP
Reposted by Matt Wright
Thrilled to have galleys of my book in hand! Final corrections & index pending. Please consider preordering, gifting, & teaching. Via the archive, interviews & more I show how the crisis we face now reflects failure to listen & act on the democracy Black folks have envisioned, but we still can.
January 28, 2026 at 1:31 PM
Thrilled to have galleys of my book in hand! Final corrections & index pending. Please consider preordering, gifting, & teaching. Via the archive, interviews & more I show how the crisis we face now reflects failure to listen & act on the democracy Black folks have envisioned, but we still can.
Reposted by Matt Wright
This photo of Liam Conejo Ramos - the 5-year-old who ICE agents in Minneapolis nabbed last week and shipped off to a Texas - is beyond horrifiying.
This underscores why just slapping on some procedural restraints on Trump/Miller's ICE/CBP army is not going to make this cruelty/horror go away.
This underscores why just slapping on some procedural restraints on Trump/Miller's ICE/CBP army is not going to make this cruelty/horror go away.
Rep. @joaquincastrotx.bsky.social visited Liam and his dad today at the Texas ICE facility.
He shared this photo on social media that shows Liam either sleeping or lying weakly in his father’s arms.
He shared this photo on social media that shows Liam either sleeping or lying weakly in his father’s arms.
January 28, 2026 at 10:33 PM
This photo of Liam Conejo Ramos - the 5-year-old who ICE agents in Minneapolis nabbed last week and shipped off to a Texas - is beyond horrifiying.
This underscores why just slapping on some procedural restraints on Trump/Miller's ICE/CBP army is not going to make this cruelty/horror go away.
This underscores why just slapping on some procedural restraints on Trump/Miller's ICE/CBP army is not going to make this cruelty/horror go away.
Stares in “reluctantly started a CS degree in 1999”
I feel genuinely awful for all those kids who got told to get computer science degrees they weren’t actually that passionate about over the last decade, only to get completely walloped on the job market due to the AI craze among executives.
January 28, 2026 at 11:23 PM
Stares in “reluctantly started a CS degree in 1999”
Reposted by Matt Wright
An underrated reason that higher ed should not structured as leveraged individual investments in marketable skills. It's pro-cyclical and on a lag!
I feel genuinely awful for all those kids who got told to get computer science degrees they weren’t actually that passionate about over the last decade, only to get completely walloped on the job market due to the AI craze among executives.
January 28, 2026 at 4:01 PM
An underrated reason that higher ed should not structured as leveraged individual investments in marketable skills. It's pro-cyclical and on a lag!
Reposted by Matt Wright
Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., rolls out his demand for supporting a DHS appropriations bill: fire Stephen Miller
January 28, 2026 at 3:19 AM
Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., rolls out his demand for supporting a DHS appropriations bill: fire Stephen Miller
LFG
Genuinely interesting. Kristi Noem is snitching that Stephen Miller is the one who made up the bullshit about Alex Pretti.
It would be genuinely useful if Congress can get her to admit that he has been dictating ALL OF THIS just like he dictated the murderboats.
www.axios.com/2026/01/27/t...
It would be genuinely useful if Congress can get her to admit that he has been dictating ALL OF THIS just like he dictated the murderboats.
www.axios.com/2026/01/27/t...
January 28, 2026 at 12:22 AM
LFG
Reposted by Matt Wright
As a philosophy major son of a philosopher games obsessive, it's kind of hard to think of somebody this is more for and it's somehow overdelivered and I'm very excited to read the book.
If you’re looking for a little respite from the insanity and depravity of the news, I really enjoyed this #WITHPod convo on the philosophy of games with @add-hawk.bsky.social
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...
The Gamification of Our World with C. Thi Nguyen
Podcast Episode · Why Is This Happening? The Chris Hayes Podcast · 01/27/2026 · 59m
podcasts.apple.com
January 27, 2026 at 6:30 PM
As a philosophy major son of a philosopher games obsessive, it's kind of hard to think of somebody this is more for and it's somehow overdelivered and I'm very excited to read the book.
100% surprised by how much this resonated with me. Just professionally, it has deep ramifications for how I manage people.
(Also the episode’s title is misleading - the conversation actually contradicts the idea that what tech is doing to us now is fundamentally novel, & it convinced me.)
(Also the episode’s title is misleading - the conversation actually contradicts the idea that what tech is doing to us now is fundamentally novel, & it convinced me.)
If you’re looking for a little respite from the insanity and depravity of the news, I really enjoyed this #WITHPod convo on the philosophy of games with @add-hawk.bsky.social
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...
podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...
The Gamification of Our World with C. Thi Nguyen
Podcast Episode · Why Is This Happening? The Chris Hayes Podcast · 01/27/2026 · 59m
podcasts.apple.com
January 28, 2026 at 12:01 AM
100% surprised by how much this resonated with me. Just professionally, it has deep ramifications for how I manage people.
(Also the episode’s title is misleading - the conversation actually contradicts the idea that what tech is doing to us now is fundamentally novel, & it convinced me.)
(Also the episode’s title is misleading - the conversation actually contradicts the idea that what tech is doing to us now is fundamentally novel, & it convinced me.)