Reposted by Melissa
Even for me, this is pretty in the weeds, but the shift in tone in SCOTUSblog's coverage since Sarah Isgur and The Dispatch took over—more deferential to the Court, more reverential of the justices as celebrities, more credulous and stenographic across the board—has been...notable
Maybe this new blog can respond, in one of its first posts, to the argument that the term “interim docket” is a deliberately misleading attempt to minimize the (very permanent) doctrinal and real-world consequences of #SCOTUS’s rulings on emergency applications?
www.stevevladeck.com/p/177-the-no...
www.stevevladeck.com/p/177-the-no...
December 11, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Even for me, this is pretty in the weeds, but the shift in tone in SCOTUSblog's coverage since Sarah Isgur and The Dispatch took over—more deferential to the Court, more reverential of the justices as celebrities, more credulous and stenographic across the board—has been...notable
Reposted by Melissa
so, this right here? this is one of the absolutely most lawless, brazenly unconstitutional impeachable offenses ever committed by any president other than trump in the history of our country.
like, this is an open and shut case. and it's a case which targeted *republicans.*
like, this is an open and shut case. and it's a case which targeted *republicans.*
This should be the biggest story in the country right now. The sitting US President was extorting state lawmakers from his own party by threatening to withhold public money if they didn’t gerrymander for him.
I don’t know how else to say it…
I don’t know how else to say it…
December 12, 2025 at 4:55 AM
so, this right here? this is one of the absolutely most lawless, brazenly unconstitutional impeachable offenses ever committed by any president other than trump in the history of our country.
like, this is an open and shut case. and it's a case which targeted *republicans.*
like, this is an open and shut case. and it's a case which targeted *republicans.*
Reposted by Melissa
Kids, wake up. New Network State just dropped.
Trump pushes for ‘free economic zone’ in Donbas, says Zelenskyy on.ft.com/3MDWqwq
Trump pushes for ‘free economic zone’ in Donbas, says Zelenskyy
US proposes ‘compromise’ option of demilitarised buffer that excludes both Ukrainian and Russian forces, says Kyiv
on.ft.com
December 12, 2025 at 8:14 AM
Kids, wake up. New Network State just dropped.
Reposted by Melissa
This is so bonkers and lawless that newspapers are struggling to find a headline that fits. “Trump announces pardon…” “Trump asserts he has pardoned…” “Trump symbolically pardons…” Which is kind of a running theme, as Trump routinely announces he’s doing things he has no power to do.
NEW: Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser (D) says Colorado will not release Tina Peters after President Trump announced he is pardoning her state-level convictions.
"This is a lawless act. It's an act of intimidation," Weiser said. "It has no basis in the American law."
"This is a lawless act. It's an act of intimidation," Weiser said. "It has no basis in the American law."
December 12, 2025 at 8:12 AM
This is so bonkers and lawless that newspapers are struggling to find a headline that fits. “Trump announces pardon…” “Trump asserts he has pardoned…” “Trump symbolically pardons…” Which is kind of a running theme, as Trump routinely announces he’s doing things he has no power to do.
Reposted by Melissa
Washington Post editorial board really speaking truth to power
December 11, 2025 at 1:18 AM
Washington Post editorial board really speaking truth to power
Reposted by Melissa
The titular wokeness being rolled back is the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Washington Post editorial board really speaking truth to power
December 11, 2025 at 2:53 AM
The titular wokeness being rolled back is the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Reposted by Melissa
Today in "neither our media nor our political system is designed to deal with a far right authoritarian party"
The House just voted for a bloated $900B Pentagon budget despite the fact that the Pentagon can't even pass an audit and despite the fact that Trump is getting ready for a war on Venezuela and despite the fact that so many people are about to lose health care.
Here are the 115 Dem YES votes.
Here are the 115 Dem YES votes.
December 11, 2025 at 6:49 AM
Today in "neither our media nor our political system is designed to deal with a far right authoritarian party"
Reposted by Melissa
👇🎯 Again, a system of government in which the only way in real time to remove a lawless authoritarian executive is an extraordinary mechanism, requiring huge supermajorities, that has never been successfully used, & everyone rules out ex ante as poison, is not actually a functioning democracy.
There's a Hill bubble narrative, posing as savvy realism, in treating impeachment as some radioactive poison and so Democrats must squash any talk of it. But there's zero evidence for that. No polls back it up, nor recent history. It's all just pundit-brained conventional wisdom eating its own tail.
December 11, 2025 at 6:58 AM
👇🎯 Again, a system of government in which the only way in real time to remove a lawless authoritarian executive is an extraordinary mechanism, requiring huge supermajorities, that has never been successfully used, & everyone rules out ex ante as poison, is not actually a functioning democracy.
Reposted by Melissa
I mean, we directly threatened their territorial sovereignty repeatedly in the last several years. What did you expect?
December 11, 2025 at 7:21 AM
I mean, we directly threatened their territorial sovereignty repeatedly in the last several years. What did you expect?
Reposted by Melissa
Me, yesterday: "I'd really like to call it 'kleptocratic foreign policy', buy maybe that's too incendiary for pages of august magazine."
White House, today: 👇
White House, today: 👇
December 10, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Me, yesterday: "I'd really like to call it 'kleptocratic foreign policy', buy maybe that's too incendiary for pages of august magazine."
White House, today: 👇
White House, today: 👇
Reposted by Melissa
Ok good, everyone else hears Donald *stroke patient* Trump slurring and its not just me.
December 10, 2025 at 9:07 PM
Ok good, everyone else hears Donald *stroke patient* Trump slurring and its not just me.
Reposted by Melissa
One of the most blatantly authoritarian threats in a Trump term full of them
December 11, 2025 at 4:51 PM
One of the most blatantly authoritarian threats in a Trump term full of them
Reposted by Melissa
🧵
It's inconvenient for people interested in Dem factional fights, or Obama 2012 veterans trying to get consulting work. But we have known since several days after the election that Trump gained fewer votes from 2020-2024 in swing states that were exposed to campaign messages than in other states. /1
December 11, 2025 at 6:58 PM
🧵
Reposted by Melissa
lol wut. dropping from 42 percent approval to 36 percent approval seems pretty significant. apnews.com/article/trum...
December 11, 2025 at 7:30 PM
lol wut. dropping from 42 percent approval to 36 percent approval seems pretty significant. apnews.com/article/trum...
Reposted by Melissa
👇🎯 Don’t. Print. Lies. In. The. Newspapers.
lol wut. dropping from 42 percent approval to 36 percent approval seems pretty significant. apnews.com/article/trum...
December 11, 2025 at 7:48 PM
👇🎯 Don’t. Print. Lies. In. The. Newspapers.
Reposted by Melissa
In a normal administration, this would be a career-ending, weeks-long scandal
MAGAZINER: How many veterans have you deported?
NOEM: We haven't deported veterans
MAGAZINER: We are now joined on Zoom by a combat veteran you deported to Korea
NOEM: We haven't deported veterans
MAGAZINER: We are now joined on Zoom by a combat veteran you deported to Korea
December 11, 2025 at 7:04 PM
In a normal administration, this would be a career-ending, weeks-long scandal
Reposted by Melissa
Good but at least two years too late
The European Union has triggered Article 122 to indefinitely immobilise the assets of the Russian Central Bank, worth a whopping €210 billion.
I explain what just happened and why this is such a big deal for Europeans.
🧵 Long thread.
I explain what just happened and why this is such a big deal for Europeans.
🧵 Long thread.
December 11, 2025 at 7:54 PM
Good but at least two years too late
Reposted by Melissa
Dems in disarray
December 12, 2025 at 12:14 AM
Dems in disarray
Reposted by Melissa
Once again, behold the unparalleled parsimony & explanatory power of the Dennis Green Unified Theory Of 🇺🇸 Politics (& “Journalism”)
bsky.app/profile/mcop...
bsky.app/profile/mcop...
December 12, 2025 at 3:27 AM
Once again, behold the unparalleled parsimony & explanatory power of the Dennis Green Unified Theory Of 🇺🇸 Politics (& “Journalism”)
bsky.app/profile/mcop...
bsky.app/profile/mcop...
Reposted by Melissa
👇🎯 Presidentialism, again, was a mistake
December 12, 2025 at 3:36 AM
👇🎯 Presidentialism, again, was a mistake
Reposted by Melissa
Impeachment is a tool for political accountability, not a “sacred” constitutional ritual. If it were truly about evidence, the Senate would’ve convicted Trump unanimously after his coup attempt—the same way every jury has unanimously found him liable or guilty when the facts actually matter.
December 12, 2025 at 3:21 AM
Reposted by Melissa
For the umpteenth time since at least Watergate, there are going to be no actual legal, personal, or professional consequences for the lawless authoritarianism from the GOP. It’s the signal feature of 🇺🇸 politics & why all the awful & illegal things keep happening again & again & again.
Aside from how he's wrong right now on the history, process, strategy, and merits, this is Jeffries heavily signaling that even when they're in the majority, he'll oppose any impeachment that doesn't first get slow-walked in needless committee dithering for as long as he can delay it there.
Significant statement from Jeffries and House Democratic leaders saying they will vote “present” on the motion to table Al Green’s resolution to impeach President Trump. They say they’re “laser-focused on fighting to lower the high cost of living” plus on health care and corruption.
December 12, 2025 at 5:01 AM
For the umpteenth time since at least Watergate, there are going to be no actual legal, personal, or professional consequences for the lawless authoritarianism from the GOP. It’s the signal feature of 🇺🇸 politics & why all the awful & illegal things keep happening again & again & again.
Reposted by Melissa
Today in “Watergate was a harmless high school prank relative to the things Trump does on a daily basis”
This should be the biggest story in the country right now. The sitting US President was extorting state lawmakers from his own party by threatening to withhold public money if they didn’t gerrymander for him.
I don’t know how else to say it…
I don’t know how else to say it…
December 12, 2025 at 7:36 AM
Today in “Watergate was a harmless high school prank relative to the things Trump does on a daily basis”
Reposted by Melissa
Something something federalism something states’ rights something local control something Article I something One Special Boy something something
Trump has signed an executive order blocking states from making their own guardrails around artificial intelligence
Trump Signs Order Blocking States From Enforcing Their Own AI Guardrails
www.huffpost.com
December 12, 2025 at 7:45 AM
Something something federalism something states’ rights something local control something Article I something One Special Boy something something
Reposted by Melissa
My God, it’s a full-court press to get her out. A Fed govt that could not care less about prison conditions suddenly cares…
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/11/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/11/u...
December 12, 2025 at 2:57 AM
My God, it’s a full-court press to get her out. A Fed govt that could not care less about prison conditions suddenly cares…
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/11/u...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/11/u...