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Reposted by Someone Somewhere

Matt Zoller Seitz @mattzollerseitz.bsky.social · Aug 25

"I remember walking out of that luncheon feeling like I had glimpsed something important. The beating heart of the GOP no longer cared about principles or policy. There was a nihilist wing in control that scared me; they were happy to let it all burn."

Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · Aug 25

I loved @vermontgmg.bsky.social's latest piece so much that I asked if I could republish it on The Handbasket and he so generously said yes.

If you haven't read it yet, please do. It's essential:

America tips into fascism (GUEST POST)

"Something is materially different in our country this week than last," writes historian Garrett Graff.

www.thehandbasket.co

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Someone Somewhere @nerudap.bsky.social · Aug 25

he president is demanding government stakes in U.S. companies and cuts of their revenue. Experts see some similarities to state-managed capitalism in other parts of the world.

Corporate America’s Newest Activist Investor: Donald Trump

www.nytimes.com

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Someone Somewhere @nerudap.bsky.social · Aug 25

'..only modern president who refused to concede a certified election defeat now proclaims his authority over election rules nationwide... Having tried his best once to undermine our constitutional system, Trump is the last American..who should be entrusted to supervise the integrity of the vote.'

Opinion | Trump’s Stunning Power Grab on Elections

www.nytimes.com

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Someone Somewhere @nerudap.bsky.social · Aug 25

It's amazing it's come to this!

"The case could determine whether immigration agents can rely on factors including a person's "apparent ethnicity" or speaking Spanish, as part of the "reasonable suspicion" standard that permits immigration stops."

Supreme Court to decide if ICE can arrest based on "apparent ethnicity"

The Supreme Court will consider staying an order that limits ICE agents from stopping people based on "apparent ethnicity."

www.newsweek.com

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Someone Somewhere @nerudap.bsky.social · Aug 25

America’s democratic system depends on the public’s understanding that law is bigger than politics. But now, Trump is sending a clear message that he is willing to go after his enemies and undermine that system.

Trump Is Sending a Terrifyingly Clear Message

America’s democratic system depends on the public’s understanding that law is bigger than politics, David Frum argues. But now, Trump is sending a clear message that he is willing to go after his enem...

www.theatlantic.com

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Mrs. Betty Bowers @mrsbettybowers.bsky.social · Jun 3

Trump softened America up for the ICE Gestapo by constantly saying migrants are dangerous criminals who don't lead ordinary lives.

So why is ICE raiding neighborhood restaurants & immigration courts instead of drug dens & dog fights?

(BTW militarization of domestic law enforcement is abhorrent.)

Jason Chavez @jchavezmpls.bsky.social · Jun 3

Yup. I’m here.

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Reposted by Someone Somewhere

AI Now Institute @ainowinstitute.bsky.social · Jun 3

NEW REPORT: Artificial Power, our 2025 Landscape Report, is out.

Today’s AI isn’t just being used by us, it’s being used on us. We urgently need to reclaim public power over the future trajectory of AI. Another path is possible.

Read the report: ainowinstitute.org/2025-landscape

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Reposted by Someone Somewhere

Rise Up Western Mass Indivisible ❌👑 @ruwmi.bsky.social · Jun 3

www.rollingstone.com/politics/pol...

Elon Musk's Reign of Corruption Chronicled in Elizabeth Warren Report

Warren’s report is focused on Musk’s misuse of political power for personal gain as Donald Trump’s DOGE chief.

www.rollingstone.com

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Reposted by Someone Somewhere

The Atlantic @theatlantic.com · Jun 3

Trump’s advisers have given up trying to restrict his phone use. His personal cellphone has become, Ashley Parker and Michael Scherer write, “the most pivotal technological device in the federal government, directly linking Trump to the outside world.” https://theatln.tc/mWgdUKd0

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Someone Somewhere @nerudap.bsky.social · Jun 3

we are all exhausted and tired... i'm staying away from bluesky for mental sanity! I do peruse news and know whats going on but we slid really fast into fascism. each day there is something new that reminds me of this! Lawmakers and even many judges have failed us.

image: recent. New Yorker 2025

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Catapult Book Group @catapultbooks.bsky.social · May 19

"Venturini’s exquisite prose and her boldness in diving deep into the consciousness of a troubled, outcast young girl, one who defiantly chooses her own uncompromising way in the world, makes this a novel well worth reading." — @lareviewofbooks.bsky.social‬

lareviewofbooks.org/article/open...

Opening the Pandora’s Box of Latin American Women’s Writing | Los Angeles Review of Books

Elaine Elinson reviews Kit Maude’s new translation of “We, the Casertas,” a novel by Argentine author Aurora Venturini.

lareviewofbooks.org

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Someone Somewhere @nerudap.bsky.social · May 19

Timothy Snyder Spent Years Studying Fascists. He Thinks Trump Is One.
Is the Yale historian a prophet, as his supporters say? Or is he stripping the word ‘fascism’ of its meaning?

Timothy Snyder Spent Years Studying Fascists. He Thinks Trump Is One.

Is the Yale historian a prophet, as his supporters say? Or is he stripping the word ‘fascism’ of its meaning?

www.thefp.com

Someone Somewhere @nerudap.bsky.social · May 19

Didn't get to this over the weekend...will listen later tonight

Timothy Snyder, a leading historian of authoritarianism, Ukraine, and Eastern Europe, joins Scott to discuss the threats to American democracy, echoes of 1930s fascism, and what still gives him hope.

How to Fight Fascism in America — with Timothy Snyder | Prof G Conversations

YouTube video by The Prof G Pod – Scott Galloway

youtu.be

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Someone Somewhere @nerudap.bsky.social · May 19

The paper mentioned in the article above:

Is the US Moving Toward Autocracy? A Critical Assessment
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

Politics & Policy | PSO Policy Research Journal | Wiley Online Library

Using the theory of incremental autocratization, I illustrate in this commentary that recent developments in the United States perfectly align with this theory. In the analytical framework I use, inc...

onlinelibrary.wiley.com

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Someone Somewhere @nerudap.bsky.social · May 19

Anyone paying attention knows we have slid into autocracy, fully enabled by lawmakers in Congress, selected to represent us but failing to do so. Further, Felon45's attacks on judges and lawyers who defend his opponents is the ultimate sign that it's over...

The Science of Autocracy Suggests the U.S. Is Headed for Dictatorship

The red flags abound—political research tells us the U.S. is becoming an autocracy

www.scientificamerican.com

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Someone Somewhere @nerudap.bsky.social · May 19

There's so many different things he's done ...it's tough to keep track!

Cut, Baby, Cut — a new report reveals the (almost) impossible task facing the US Dept. of Agriculture & Dept. of Interior as it looks to deliver on Trump's promise to deliver timber self-sufficiency.

Cut, Baby, Cut — Why Trump Must Ramp Up Logging 450% to Meet Order

Donald Trump will find it "incredibly challenging for the US federal timber harvest to offset Canadian wood products in the coming years" without significant ca

woodcentral.com.au

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Someone Somewhere @nerudap.bsky.social · May 19

!!
International Criminal Court’s chief prosecutor has lost access to his email, and his bank accounts have been frozen. ICC's staffers have been told that if they travel to the US they risk arrest.. hurdles for court staff since Trump slapped sanctions on its chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, in Feb.

Trump's sanctions on ICC's chief prosecutor have halted tribunal's work, officials and lawyers say

Staffers and allies of the ICC said the sanctions have made it increasingly difficult for the tribunal to conduct basic tasks, let alone seek justice for victims of war crimes or genocide.

www.pbs.org

Someone Somewhere @nerudap.bsky.social · May 19

"..new report that the president's crypto holdings ...approximately $2.9 billion. ..due in part to his release of the $TRUMP and $MELANIA meme coins, in addition to a large stake in World Liberty Financial, a crypto exchange affiliated with the Trump family that launched in October 2024."

Trump family's net worth has increased by $2.9 billion thanks to crypto investments, new report says

As the Trump family's crypto ventures increase their wealth, the president's administration pauses a dozen federal crypto probes.

www.cbsnews.com

Someone Somewhere @nerudap.bsky.social · May 19

“This isn’t Trump just being Trump. The Trump coin scam is the most brazenly corrupt thing a President has ever done. Not close.”

Trump Just Did the Most Corrupt Thing Any President Has Ever Done

He’s using the White House to get rich from anonymous investors—and it’s hardly even a news story.

newrepublic.com

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Someone Somewhere @nerudap.bsky.social · May 19

After the busy weekend of trade negotiations in Geneva, Li Chenggang, a Chinese official, replied with a wry smile and an old saying: “Good food is never too late.”

Trump administration gave China a strangely good tariff deal: for the next 90 days, at least.

America has given China a strangely good tariff deal

For the next 90 days, at least

www.economist.com

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Someone Somewhere @nerudap.bsky.social · May 19

While US economic model is of artificial scarcity, China has a model of abundance. Abundance is a supply side model, where there is sufficient goods for everyone at affordable prices. In China that means enough, not only for everyone at home, but for everyone in the world.

G7 finance leaders to seek US consensus on non-tariff issues at Canada meeting

Finance leaders from the Group of Seven democracies will strive for a show of unity when they meet this week on topics other than U.S. President Donald Trump's tariffs, including economic security, Ukraine and artificial intelligence cooperation.

www.reuters.com

Someone Somewhere @nerudap.bsky.social · May 18

In Crypto Rush Aftermath by Georgian filmmaker Salomé Jashi, residents of Akhalkalaki in the Caucasus nation of Georgia recount how a cryptocurrency pyramid scheme ‘spread faster than COVID’ through their town, leaving big losses – and a few scattered winners – in its wake.

What happened when a crypto scam swept over a sleepy town in the Caucasus | Aeon Videos

First the rush, then the reality – how a cryptocurrency pyramid scheme spread faster than a virus in a sleepy Georgia town

aeon.co

Someone Somewhere @nerudap.bsky.social · May 18

Stories and literature: Our narrative prison

The three-act ‘hero’s journey’ has long been the most prominent kind of story. What other tales are there to tell?
...essay by Eliane Glaser #ToReadLater

Why does every film and TV series seem to have the same plot? | Aeon Essays

The three-act ‘hero’s journey’ has long been the most prominent kind of story. What other tales are there to tell?

aeon.co

Someone Somewhere @nerudap.bsky.social · May 18

Video (5min): A stunning visualisation explores the intricate circulatory system of our oceans

aeon.co/videos/a-stu...

A stunning visualisation explores the intricate circulatory system of our oceans | Aeon Videos

Explore Earth’s oceanic circulatory system via this groundbreaking visualisation of the global flow of ocean currents

aeon.co

Someone Somewhere @nerudap.bsky.social · May 18

Moon Marbles !
A mantle-rocking asteroid impact could have made curious glass beads on the surface..

Moon Marbles Hint at Lunar Depths

A mantle-rocking asteroid impact could have made curious glass beads on the surface

nautil.us